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Catching the Light
This was the line between here and there. No landwash, no vague intertidal zone, no undecided. She stood at the edge, a mass of instincts and yearnings and despair, while the dawn painted itself in around her, shade by delicate shade.
The kids call her Lighthouse: no lights on up there. In a small town, everyone knows when you can't read. But Cathy is just distracted by the light, lines, and artistry of everyday life. She is a talented artist growing up in the tiny fictional town of Mariners Cove, Newfoundland, where such talent is far from appreciated. Cathy becomes convinced success and acceptance await her at NSCAD University in Halifax. Hutch Parsons is everything Cathy is not: energetic, popular, smart. He's charismatic, always on the go, and can't wait to launch his fishing career. But one icy evening Hutch's life comes crashing down around him, and he must learn to rebuild the broken pieces slowly and carefully--something he may need an artistic eye for.
Dancing between points of view, Catching the Light explores the ordinary lives of two extraordinary people. With gorgeously lyrical language and a strong sense of place, this tender novel announces a bright new voice in Atlantic fiction. Winner of the 2014 Percy Janes First Novel Award for an unpublished manuscript.
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2018
12 people are currently reading
156 people want to read
About the author
Susan Sinnott
2 books11 followersSusan Sinnott was born in the UK and now lives in St. John's, Newfoundland. She was awarded the Percy Janes First Novel Award for her then-unpublished manuscript, "Just Like Always" (later Catching the Light), and an excerpt was adapted for inclusion in Racket, an anthology of short fiction by the Port Authority writing group, edited by Lisa Moore. Susan has also contributed to the Newfoundland Quarterly Online.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
June 25, 2020
Every once and awhile I stumble upon a book that is just so precious, it's unexpected. Catching Light was that read for me this week. Set in the Canadian province of Newfoundland in the 1990's, our story begins on the day that Cathy, a seventh grader receives her report card. Filled with worry about its contents, Cathy retreats to her artwork which is her true gift. Growing up in a small community, Cathy is taunted by her peers who call her "lighthouse" because there's no light up there. When the doctor's wife offers to teach Cathy to read, a whole new world of opportunity opens its doors, but Cathy's mother is fearful of the outside world and unrealistic expectations.
Our other main character is Hutch Parsons. Hutch is the complete opposite of Cathy, he's athletic, popular, and is understood by the community. But when a tragedy occurs, throwing Hutch's world upside down, it will take a special young artist to help them both see the light.
An absolutely beautiful read with two excellent characters that I won't soon forget. It was fun to read a novel in which the characters lives cross with my own childhood and adulthood.
Goodreads review published 25/06/20
Our other main character is Hutch Parsons. Hutch is the complete opposite of Cathy, he's athletic, popular, and is understood by the community. But when a tragedy occurs, throwing Hutch's world upside down, it will take a special young artist to help them both see the light.
An absolutely beautiful read with two excellent characters that I won't soon forget. It was fun to read a novel in which the characters lives cross with my own childhood and adulthood.
Goodreads review published 25/06/20
February 4, 2019
Be forewarned... the tears will have started flowing long before you turn the last page on this novel. This is one of the most beautiful, and beautifully crafted, novels you have ever read, perhaps even are likely to ever read. You will be swept away, and won’t want it to end. Guaranteed. This book is quiet and restrained… and ever so deeply rewarding.
The depiction of life in a small, rural Newfoundland community is spot on. The author paints the most beautiful scenes. She paints word pictures. She gets to the essence of things… the geography, the landscape, the people, their emotions, and their thoughts.
She addresses the political context… skillfully exploring the concept of ‘collective grief’ and the ways in which small communities are so deeply ruptured by loss. It is about sadness, and acceptance - grudging acceptance. This has been the story forever, be it war, fishing accidents, bus crashes (brought home again with the Humboldt Broncos). This is a story all about living life on the edge and the burden of being a survivor.
But it is equally a story about dreams - about having them, and living them. Without giving too much away, Cathy lives with a learning disability, but never ever let’s it get in the way of her dreams, the fears of her family notwithstanding. It’s not always easy but… Cathy blooms as a character and comes into her own, and you will cheer for her burgeoning self-confidence.
This is also, at heart, a very classical romance… a slow dance romance. The burgeoning relationship between Cathy and Hutch rings true. You know it’s going to come, you get desperate for it to come, but the author keeps you waiting in anti-ci-pa-tion. She allows the characters time to break down the walls they’ve put up to protect themselves from pain and heartbreak. Walls that sometimes prove oh so difficult to break down. She also provides time for the characters to overcome the misconceptions and perceptions that others have, and how they influence the way we look at, and treat, others. They are sometimes hard to move past. But when we do… oh the worlds that open up to us.
This is a beautifully crafted, unabashedly Canadian novel… down to it’s very core… Savour it as you read.
The depiction of life in a small, rural Newfoundland community is spot on. The author paints the most beautiful scenes. She paints word pictures. She gets to the essence of things… the geography, the landscape, the people, their emotions, and their thoughts.
She addresses the political context… skillfully exploring the concept of ‘collective grief’ and the ways in which small communities are so deeply ruptured by loss. It is about sadness, and acceptance - grudging acceptance. This has been the story forever, be it war, fishing accidents, bus crashes (brought home again with the Humboldt Broncos). This is a story all about living life on the edge and the burden of being a survivor.
But it is equally a story about dreams - about having them, and living them. Without giving too much away, Cathy lives with a learning disability, but never ever let’s it get in the way of her dreams, the fears of her family notwithstanding. It’s not always easy but… Cathy blooms as a character and comes into her own, and you will cheer for her burgeoning self-confidence.
This is also, at heart, a very classical romance… a slow dance romance. The burgeoning relationship between Cathy and Hutch rings true. You know it’s going to come, you get desperate for it to come, but the author keeps you waiting in anti-ci-pa-tion. She allows the characters time to break down the walls they’ve put up to protect themselves from pain and heartbreak. Walls that sometimes prove oh so difficult to break down. She also provides time for the characters to overcome the misconceptions and perceptions that others have, and how they influence the way we look at, and treat, others. They are sometimes hard to move past. But when we do… oh the worlds that open up to us.
This is a beautifully crafted, unabashedly Canadian novel… down to it’s very core… Savour it as you read.
May 26, 2021
This is one of the most beautiful and lyrical books I’ve had the pleasure of reading.
I am someone who loves stories told from multiple points of view, and the author does an amazing job of capturing the two main characters so uniquely and they both develop so deeply through childhood, adolescence, and into early adulthood. You will fall in love with both Cathy and Hutch. In fact, their lives run parallel for so long, you are practically aching to finally have their lives intersect again!
The beginning had a very “Anne of Green Gables”-vibe: east coast, the Gilbert/Anne classroom animosity, the small town struggles. I read this the fall after the Humboldt Broncos bus crash, and so there’s a plot-line that I felt much more profoundly at the time, than if I had read it totally separate from that incident.
My only *drawback* (not really a complaint!) is that I would have loved one more page at the end. Or I would have even been satisfied with one more paragraph!
I am someone who loves stories told from multiple points of view, and the author does an amazing job of capturing the two main characters so uniquely and they both develop so deeply through childhood, adolescence, and into early adulthood. You will fall in love with both Cathy and Hutch. In fact, their lives run parallel for so long, you are practically aching to finally have their lives intersect again!
The beginning had a very “Anne of Green Gables”-vibe: east coast, the Gilbert/Anne classroom animosity, the small town struggles. I read this the fall after the Humboldt Broncos bus crash, and so there’s a plot-line that I felt much more profoundly at the time, than if I had read it totally separate from that incident.
My only *drawback* (not really a complaint!) is that I would have loved one more page at the end. Or I would have even been satisfied with one more paragraph!
March 15, 2023
Not the type of book I usually read but it was our book club selection for this month. I felt the ending left too much up in the air
January 3, 2024
Thoroughly enjoyed! Two outstanding characters.
Read
November 24, 2020The cover is inviting and called to me; the setting even more so. The prose and descriptions—at various points—melodic, if not fleeting; I would’ve preferred much more of that lovely setting. The stream of conscious style superfluous (the editor in me wanted to, well, edit); this made my mind stray, which is not so much the author’s fault as my own. I connected with the artist in the protagonist as well as the teenage girl angst on a cursory level, but felt that need for her to wax philosophical and internalize more of her burden: why am I like this, eh?
This is an easy quick read for any person young or old.
I was provided this copy by NetGalley.
Review can be found here.
This is an easy quick read for any person young or old.
I was provided this copy by NetGalley.
Review can be found here.
November 11, 2020
Book Review
"It was the F word that did it. Fail." What an interesting starter. That couple of words sentence pulls the reader into the book in the beginning. It makes them curious about how the main character failed, and how they’ll overcome that specific barrier. This rushes tons of questions through their mind.
Other than the attraction of the first sentence, I personally found the first half of the book to be pretty boring. I find the most interesting novels, are the ones that have a spice of action every couple of chapters, but 'Catching the Light' didn’t really have much going until after the main characters' were in their senior year of high-school; which was pretty much the start of the second half. But I liked the way the author made it harder to predict the outcomes of events sometimes, let's say, the first incident when they entered grade twelve had a serious, shocking, and sad outcome to the characters' lives, in fact, it had me emotional for a couple of chapters after that. (SPOILER ALERT!!!)-->That doesn’t mean I liked the ending very much, I mean, I think Hutch and Cathy won't ever truly get over the fact that she chose her career over him. But I loved how the author single handedly altered the fate of the bus crew in a couple pages, I was shocked, and sad when I read that some had died (in fact, I'm still sad over their deaths)<--(SPOILER END) But isn't the purpose of novels to entertain the reader? The best way of doing that is psychologically manipulating the reader into thinking they're inside the book, and therefore they'd have feelings about the occurring events in the story.
This novel had its own taste in art. Cathy draws things that are not material as well as touchable things. She turns feelings into a portrait. Or paints objects and adds a sense of real emotions into them. Capturing things that go unnoticed by most, things some people think are unusual to express. Cathy showed us that we shouldn’t have a care in the world, yet do what we love the most, and eventually, the rest will fall into place. I think the theme of this story is real, and true to the world around us. After reading the book, I realized the whole message was the "Our former enemy, might soon become our favorite person". And it had me thinking, are we really that clueless? How do we spend years judging people, only to realize their real worth?? I love how true the theme of this story is.
The sad thing is, I probably won't recommend this novel to everyone. I don't think this novel is for people who like reading, and prefer doing it over other things during their free time. Nor to someone whose looking for a book to read under a deadline, because, I feel like the reader might have the urge to give up on reading it on the first half, and moving on to another novel. They might keep on procrastinate reading it, or put it beside them hoping to finish it, but won't feel like it. That being said, I would definitely recommend it to an adult who enjoys reading while on their work break or something. It's a great novel to pass time, and find something to do, rather than just sitting and staring into space, and it has the audience wondering about the various 'what ifs' arising to their minds. I don’t think they'll notice the lack of action at first really, because I feel like they'd have their mind set on 'they are reading a book to relax their mind', and the lack of occurring events every other chapter might help them do exactly that. Besides, it'd have them thinking about their teen years. Nonetheless, the second half of the book is great in my opinion, so I'd suggest the book to someone whose patient, or to someone who prefers calm, and still water, over continuous waves.
"It was the F word that did it. Fail." What an interesting starter. That couple of words sentence pulls the reader into the book in the beginning. It makes them curious about how the main character failed, and how they’ll overcome that specific barrier. This rushes tons of questions through their mind.
Other than the attraction of the first sentence, I personally found the first half of the book to be pretty boring. I find the most interesting novels, are the ones that have a spice of action every couple of chapters, but 'Catching the Light' didn’t really have much going until after the main characters' were in their senior year of high-school; which was pretty much the start of the second half. But I liked the way the author made it harder to predict the outcomes of events sometimes, let's say, the first incident when they entered grade twelve had a serious, shocking, and sad outcome to the characters' lives, in fact, it had me emotional for a couple of chapters after that. (SPOILER ALERT!!!)-->That doesn’t mean I liked the ending very much, I mean, I think Hutch and Cathy won't ever truly get over the fact that she chose her career over him. But I loved how the author single handedly altered the fate of the bus crew in a couple pages, I was shocked, and sad when I read that some had died (in fact, I'm still sad over their deaths)<--(SPOILER END) But isn't the purpose of novels to entertain the reader? The best way of doing that is psychologically manipulating the reader into thinking they're inside the book, and therefore they'd have feelings about the occurring events in the story.
This novel had its own taste in art. Cathy draws things that are not material as well as touchable things. She turns feelings into a portrait. Or paints objects and adds a sense of real emotions into them. Capturing things that go unnoticed by most, things some people think are unusual to express. Cathy showed us that we shouldn’t have a care in the world, yet do what we love the most, and eventually, the rest will fall into place. I think the theme of this story is real, and true to the world around us. After reading the book, I realized the whole message was the "Our former enemy, might soon become our favorite person". And it had me thinking, are we really that clueless? How do we spend years judging people, only to realize their real worth?? I love how true the theme of this story is.
The sad thing is, I probably won't recommend this novel to everyone. I don't think this novel is for people who like reading, and prefer doing it over other things during their free time. Nor to someone whose looking for a book to read under a deadline, because, I feel like the reader might have the urge to give up on reading it on the first half, and moving on to another novel. They might keep on procrastinate reading it, or put it beside them hoping to finish it, but won't feel like it. That being said, I would definitely recommend it to an adult who enjoys reading while on their work break or something. It's a great novel to pass time, and find something to do, rather than just sitting and staring into space, and it has the audience wondering about the various 'what ifs' arising to their minds. I don’t think they'll notice the lack of action at first really, because I feel like they'd have their mind set on 'they are reading a book to relax their mind', and the lack of occurring events every other chapter might help them do exactly that. Besides, it'd have them thinking about their teen years. Nonetheless, the second half of the book is great in my opinion, so I'd suggest the book to someone whose patient, or to someone who prefers calm, and still water, over continuous waves.
November 8, 2021
I had a really difficult time deciding whether I should give this 3 or 4 stars, and decided for 3 because I feel like "I liked it" more than "I really liked it".
This is a beautifully poetic book with spectacular imagery. Cathy is an artist who understands visuals more than words, more than people, and the book reflects that. The first half of the book explores Cathy's struggles with literacy and how a neighbour, uses different ways, including describing art, to develop the child's ability to read before she ends up kept back another year. It explores how, as Cathy learns to read, she grows as a young person and her relationships with her parents and other children in the small community, develop and blossom. Of course, nothing is perfect, and there are still those who remember the Cathy whom most considered dumb, the Cathy that one child, Hutch, nicknames Lighthouse as she once lived in the community lighthouse when her father was the keeper, but also so he could say that she was so dumb that the lights weren't on.
The second half of the book is where the story got a little more complicated for me. It continues to follow Cathy and her going to art school in Nova Scotia and growing as an artist. This, I enjoyed. Cathy continues to learn and blossom into a fabulous artist, getting recognition from her classmates and the art community
What bothered me were her relationships with those from her town who were also going to school in Nova Scotia. . I would have loved to have seen more of Cathy coming of age by interacting with her new friends who sort of get pushed to the background in favour of people from her childhood.
This is a good book, I did enjoy it and would love to see it as a regularly read coming of age story set in Newfoundland. Share it with the young adults in your life.
This is a beautifully poetic book with spectacular imagery. Cathy is an artist who understands visuals more than words, more than people, and the book reflects that. The first half of the book explores Cathy's struggles with literacy and how a neighbour, uses different ways, including describing art, to develop the child's ability to read before she ends up kept back another year. It explores how, as Cathy learns to read, she grows as a young person and her relationships with her parents and other children in the small community, develop and blossom. Of course, nothing is perfect, and there are still those who remember the Cathy whom most considered dumb, the Cathy that one child, Hutch, nicknames Lighthouse as she once lived in the community lighthouse when her father was the keeper, but also so he could say that she was so dumb that the lights weren't on.
The second half of the book is where the story got a little more complicated for me. It continues to follow Cathy and her going to art school in Nova Scotia and growing as an artist. This, I enjoyed. Cathy continues to learn and blossom into a fabulous artist, getting recognition from her classmates and the art community
What bothered me were her relationships with those from her town who were also going to school in Nova Scotia. . I would have loved to have seen more of Cathy coming of age by interacting with her new friends who sort of get pushed to the background in favour of people from her childhood.
This is a good book, I did enjoy it and would love to see it as a regularly read coming of age story set in Newfoundland. Share it with the young adults in your life.
October 29, 2019
Catching the Light was such an odd book that I still don’t exactly know what to say about it. Cathy is an unpopular illiterate eleven-year-old living in Newfoundland, but though she can’t read or speak properly she sees the world clearly through her art. Drawing and painting are Cathy’s passions and she’s convinced that if she goes to study NSCAD University will change her life for the better. Popular and funny Hutch Parsons is the guy everyone wants to be friends with and he knows exactly what he’s going to do in life: works on the boats in a career in fishing, despite his family telling him otherwise. But when an unthinkable tragedy happens Hutch’s life is changed forever and he needs to create a new path for his life. Following a span of ten years between Cathy and Hutch
This book is weird in the most ordinary way because nothing insanely weird happens. The book is literally just about the lives of Cathy and Hutch and how they eventually intertwine over a period of ten years. But ten years of character development is a lot to put into 288 pages, and Sinnott doesn’t do it well. So many things get sped through, from Cathy’s literacy lessons to suddenly being accepted in university. Even the bus tragedy which causes Hutch to loose a leg and Cathy and Hutch to both loose two good friends was skimmed over. We never got to know about their grief, if they felt anything because while it was said that the people of Mariner’s Cove and around always talked about the bus accident no one ever really seemed to acknowledge it happened.
And then there’s the voice. The story is told in third person and switches between Cathy and Hutch, but even though the story spans ten years both characters sound exactly the same throughout the entire novel. All of a sudden these eleven-year-old voices are talking about having sex with one another that it just doesn’t feel right.
Sinnott seemed to get her real strength in the last few chapters of the novel, when Cathy and Hutch are in university start living in the same apartment complex. It felt like this was the story Sinnott was building up to and it takes up less than half of the novel. I couldn’t help but wonder how the beginning and middle of the novel were even relevant to the end, my only guess that it was an attempt at some slow-burn romance that just wasn’t successful.
That’s not to say Catching the Light is a bad novel though. Sinnott is an incredibly talented writer and I loved the imagery she used to write, especially when writing Cathy and using heavy colour imagery to reflect Cathy’s artists eye. It was an easy read and a beautiful one prose wise, but just boring and irrelevant on the plot front.
This book is weird in the most ordinary way because nothing insanely weird happens. The book is literally just about the lives of Cathy and Hutch and how they eventually intertwine over a period of ten years. But ten years of character development is a lot to put into 288 pages, and Sinnott doesn’t do it well. So many things get sped through, from Cathy’s literacy lessons to suddenly being accepted in university. Even the bus tragedy which causes Hutch to loose a leg and Cathy and Hutch to both loose two good friends was skimmed over. We never got to know about their grief, if they felt anything because while it was said that the people of Mariner’s Cove and around always talked about the bus accident no one ever really seemed to acknowledge it happened.
And then there’s the voice. The story is told in third person and switches between Cathy and Hutch, but even though the story spans ten years both characters sound exactly the same throughout the entire novel. All of a sudden these eleven-year-old voices are talking about having sex with one another that it just doesn’t feel right.
Sinnott seemed to get her real strength in the last few chapters of the novel, when Cathy and Hutch are in university start living in the same apartment complex. It felt like this was the story Sinnott was building up to and it takes up less than half of the novel. I couldn’t help but wonder how the beginning and middle of the novel were even relevant to the end, my only guess that it was an attempt at some slow-burn romance that just wasn’t successful.
That’s not to say Catching the Light is a bad novel though. Sinnott is an incredibly talented writer and I loved the imagery she used to write, especially when writing Cathy and using heavy colour imagery to reflect Cathy’s artists eye. It was an easy read and a beautiful one prose wise, but just boring and irrelevant on the plot front.
March 23, 2020
Loved this book on many different levels: Canadian, Newfoundland, Cathy, art, love, tragedy, overcoming obstacles, Hutch,family and home.
Newfoundland - this was an audiobook listen and the narrator captured the accent perfectly. The author captured the essence—family, weather, the bond between people, the bond between people and home and weather. Loved it, I want to go to Newfoundland and soak up some of its Newfoundland-ness.
I loved the way the author jumped between Cathy’s thoughts and life and Hutch’s thoughts and life. It seemed effortless.
Art—this book is full of art and art reflecting life. It gave me a glimpse into the mind of an artist. I loved the references to light. The book is aptly named. I loved hearing Cathy’s thought processes as she created her art—from sketching to painting. The descriptions of her work was vivid in my mind’s eye. Her artwork was wound with emotion—it was another part of her soul.
Love—so many different types and examples. Mother, father, aunt, friends, Paul and Jenny, Cathy, Hutch, Sarah, self (self-esteem, self identity). Love was a big theme. I loved the slow buildup of Cathy and Hutch and the heart wrenching decisions Cathy had to make. It was realistic, raw love, not soapy, fluffy, cheap love.
Obstacles and overcoming. Cathy’s reading and school troubles, Hutch and his leg, the accident. How they put in the effort and work to overcome. They both needed help Cathy and Sarah. Hutch needed to see his whole self. Another theme that was real and raw. So many times my heart aches for Cathy and Hutch as they worked through the things life through at them.
Leaving home, family bonds, friendship, growing up, so many other themes woven through this book.
I loved the characters. Cathy and Hutch were so full of depth, multifaceted and evolving. The side characters—Cathy’s mom, the aunts, Sarah, Paul...the author made each character that passed through the pages come to life. They all felt like real people, my friends. When the book ended, I felt that I’d lost some dear friends whose lives I was invested in. The tears flowed as I shared the ups and downs of the people of Mariner’s Cove.
Highly recommend this book, it fed my soul and gave me a great escape while social isolating during Covid pandemic. It gave me the beauty of Newfoundland—the people, the land. It gave me art, love and inspiration. It gave me happy tears and sad tears. It made me have faith and hope when it was in short supply.
Newfoundland - this was an audiobook listen and the narrator captured the accent perfectly. The author captured the essence—family, weather, the bond between people, the bond between people and home and weather. Loved it, I want to go to Newfoundland and soak up some of its Newfoundland-ness.
I loved the way the author jumped between Cathy’s thoughts and life and Hutch’s thoughts and life. It seemed effortless.
Art—this book is full of art and art reflecting life. It gave me a glimpse into the mind of an artist. I loved the references to light. The book is aptly named. I loved hearing Cathy’s thought processes as she created her art—from sketching to painting. The descriptions of her work was vivid in my mind’s eye. Her artwork was wound with emotion—it was another part of her soul.
Love—so many different types and examples. Mother, father, aunt, friends, Paul and Jenny, Cathy, Hutch, Sarah, self (self-esteem, self identity). Love was a big theme. I loved the slow buildup of Cathy and Hutch and the heart wrenching decisions Cathy had to make. It was realistic, raw love, not soapy, fluffy, cheap love.
Obstacles and overcoming. Cathy’s reading and school troubles, Hutch and his leg, the accident. How they put in the effort and work to overcome. They both needed help Cathy and Sarah. Hutch needed to see his whole self. Another theme that was real and raw. So many times my heart aches for Cathy and Hutch as they worked through the things life through at them.
Leaving home, family bonds, friendship, growing up, so many other themes woven through this book.
I loved the characters. Cathy and Hutch were so full of depth, multifaceted and evolving. The side characters—Cathy’s mom, the aunts, Sarah, Paul...the author made each character that passed through the pages come to life. They all felt like real people, my friends. When the book ended, I felt that I’d lost some dear friends whose lives I was invested in. The tears flowed as I shared the ups and downs of the people of Mariner’s Cove.
Highly recommend this book, it fed my soul and gave me a great escape while social isolating during Covid pandemic. It gave me the beauty of Newfoundland—the people, the land. It gave me art, love and inspiration. It gave me happy tears and sad tears. It made me have faith and hope when it was in short supply.
May 4, 2019
At first, I found it SO hard to actually get into the story and the book in general. Tbh I didn't actually start enjoying the book until page like 130. I found that there were so many aspects in the book that were so irrelevant and unnecessary and then some other points that were mentioned once at the start and then brought up again at the end of the book like seven times as if it was some big thing when honestly, I forgot it even happened. I also noticed quite a few grammatical and other writing mistakes (I saw one time where a whole sentence was repeated twice). Near the end it started to get more interesting and then it just kinda stopped being interesting again. I kinda felt as if some parts of the book were written by a child because the language used and the way things were described sounded kind of childish. I enjoyed Hutch's story much more than Cathy's story. Overall, as I was reading it it was hard to follow the story because of the time jumps. I felt as if I couldn't connect with the characters or see them grow and change because of how fast they were changing each chapter.
March 26, 2021
This book offers a vibrant view of small town life in Newfoundland, and the ways a community can both smother and support its people. The first half of the story is more focussed on developing the setting and characters, with the second half being more plot driven. While it took me a while to get through the first half, the focus on the characters' evolution gives more significance to their actions in the second half.
An aspect of the book which I appreciated was Cathy's story arc.
If you have the patience and appreciation for the slower moving first half of the book, the author certainly rewards you in the second half.
An aspect of the book which I appreciated was Cathy's story arc.
If you have the patience and appreciation for the slower moving first half of the book, the author certainly rewards you in the second half.
October 25, 2023
"Catching the Light" by Susan Sinnott is a literary gem that immerses readers in the enchanting world of Mariners Cove, Newfoundland. Sinnott's lyrical prose paints a vivid picture of ordinary lives with extraordinary depth. The characters, especially Cathy and Hutch, are beautifully crafted, and you can't help but feel a part of their close-knit community.
Sinnott weaves a cozy narrative that embraces you like a warm blanket, making it a delightful and enjoyable read. The story unfolds with a unique blend of artistry, struggle, and resilience, capturing the essence of small-town life. The author's ability to delve into authentic challenges, from Hutch's journey after a life-altering event to Cathy's pursuit of literacy and dreams, adds layers of emotional depth.
The quick pace of the novel doesn't diminish its beauty; instead, it allows for a captivating and poignant experience. "Catching the Light" is a testament to Sinnott's bright voice in Atlantic fiction, leaving readers with a heartwarming tale of growth, community, and the pursuit of dreams. A must-read for those who crave a blend of authenticity and literary magic!
Sinnott weaves a cozy narrative that embraces you like a warm blanket, making it a delightful and enjoyable read. The story unfolds with a unique blend of artistry, struggle, and resilience, capturing the essence of small-town life. The author's ability to delve into authentic challenges, from Hutch's journey after a life-altering event to Cathy's pursuit of literacy and dreams, adds layers of emotional depth.
The quick pace of the novel doesn't diminish its beauty; instead, it allows for a captivating and poignant experience. "Catching the Light" is a testament to Sinnott's bright voice in Atlantic fiction, leaving readers with a heartwarming tale of growth, community, and the pursuit of dreams. A must-read for those who crave a blend of authenticity and literary magic!
December 5, 2018
This novel follows the story of two people from their days in grade 7 to just beyond their graduation from University.
Cathy is ridiculed by the local kids for her inability to read and her obsession with art. Hutch certainly partakes in the local attitude that Cathy is a lighthouse with no light on upstairs. As the novel progresses along their lives, the reader experiences their heartbreak and triumph, loss and love.
The quality of writing is superb, inspired by the way Cathy sees the world: light and shadow, sounds and beats, the ups and downs of life are vivid. The novel is full of characters from all walks of life and they are so realistic that the reader lives and breathes in the town of Mariner's Cove. The plot slowly and steadily guides the reader through their lives in captivating way, the resolution is deeply moving.
Highly recommended for all.
Cathy is ridiculed by the local kids for her inability to read and her obsession with art. Hutch certainly partakes in the local attitude that Cathy is a lighthouse with no light on upstairs. As the novel progresses along their lives, the reader experiences their heartbreak and triumph, loss and love.
The quality of writing is superb, inspired by the way Cathy sees the world: light and shadow, sounds and beats, the ups and downs of life are vivid. The novel is full of characters from all walks of life and they are so realistic that the reader lives and breathes in the town of Mariner's Cove. The plot slowly and steadily guides the reader through their lives in captivating way, the resolution is deeply moving.
Highly recommended for all.
April 11, 2020
Just like I imagined Cathy’s art, this book was full of real and raw emotion. It captured the journey, all its light and darkness, as two people try to understand life for what it is. I struggled to get into the book at the beginning, but everything unfolds so brilliantly; deep, thought-provoking messages woven within a beautiful style of writing.
The character development of Cathy and Hutch was so well done, you wonder when did they become grown adults at the end. I loved seeing them face their own challenges and question themselves, what they stood for, and get to experience and learn to see life in a way they never thought of.
Of course, the fact that it was a Canadian book gave it a true feeling of home for me. Whether you live there or not, you’ll find yourself welcomed into the warm community of Mariners Cove, Newfoundland.
The character development of Cathy and Hutch was so well done, you wonder when did they become grown adults at the end. I loved seeing them face their own challenges and question themselves, what they stood for, and get to experience and learn to see life in a way they never thought of.
Of course, the fact that it was a Canadian book gave it a true feeling of home for me. Whether you live there or not, you’ll find yourself welcomed into the warm community of Mariners Cove, Newfoundland.
June 26, 2019
The beginning of this book was quite difficult to start into, but the story developed into something more beautiful than anything I could have imagined from the beginning. The cover does not not do this book justice, and I want to read more about a boy who smiles at a girl who sees the world differently. Well done, Sinnott.
January 26, 2020
I loved this book! I found it very relatable as being an awkward teenager going through the joy of growing up and finding out who you are. I've thought about this book often since reading it.. perhaps it's the inner artist in me that was inspired by the main characters drive to paint and continue with her art. It is a beautiful story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 4, 2025
Content warning: Profanity, brief mention of pre-marital sex
Not the deep storyline I was expecting with such a cheesy cover, but a really enjoyable book I flew through. Not something I would read again, but the ending was excellent and I feel like the artist aspect of this book was really well researched. Pleasant surprise!
Not the deep storyline I was expecting with such a cheesy cover, but a really enjoyable book I flew through. Not something I would read again, but the ending was excellent and I feel like the artist aspect of this book was really well researched. Pleasant surprise!
March 5, 2019
I loved the way this book was portaying art in Cathy's eyes. She made it so easy to understand with her descriptiins of nature in Mariner's Cove. However the story is verryyy slow, but I think that ties in with Mariner's Cove and the movement of the sea... Such a lovely, poetic book!
August 28, 2019
The cover got my attention! When I realized it took place on the Canadian East Coast I got even more excited to read the story. Once I got used to the flow of the book I really loved the story. I hope there's a second to this book. I'd love to see a love story unwind from where it left off.
April 20, 2020
Can the challenges we face be made public for the good of others when we feel it may destroy our self image? What if we are asked to choose between career and someone we love? Cathy and Hutch learn to see themselves for who they are, to accept their challenges, and to embrace life.
September 18, 2023
This book is beautifully narrated by Ryanne Chisholm. It did my heart good to hear such a lovely, authentic accent.
There are many lovely things about this book that presents two people on their life's path and the twists and road blocks they encounter and navigate.
There are many lovely things about this book that presents two people on their life's path and the twists and road blocks they encounter and navigate.
May 6, 2024
This novel set in Newfoundland caught my attention and my heart all through it. The main character is a very young teenager at the beginning and she can't read. She's also very tall and the boys tease her by calling her 'Lighthouse'. The story of her next decade is delightful.
September 13, 2025
I purchased this book on a holiday in Nova Scotia and it captivated the feeling of it perfectly. The characters stories and their struggles were painted so beautifully.
I only wish that the ending hadn't left so much to my imagination.
I only wish that the ending hadn't left so much to my imagination.
November 11, 2018
It was a struggle to get through the first 100 pages but after that I couldn't put it down.
June 17, 2019
Excellent book. Beautifully wtitten
June 18, 2019
dnf @ 40% 😔
July 16, 2019
Didn’t finish it. Wasn’t my cup of tea.
Want to read
August 27, 2020DNF
November 11, 2020
Couldn’t quite get into this story although it was well written.
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