October 2, 2010

Escaping a Sea of Secrets


Imagine if you had the opportunity to read old family letters. What if you could read old love letters that your father wrote to your mother? Well Laura Martinez gets the chance to when her mother suffers from a stroke. Laura is already busy with life as a mother, a wife, and a nurse. But she goes to Sea Escape, the beautiful beach home she grew up in, and reads the letters to her mother bedside. Each letter is more revealing than the last and offers a glimpse into her parent’s marriage. Laura even discovers a common secret that she shares with her mother.

The book weaves back and forth from the 1950’s to the present. Usually it is difficult to follow such books, but the author writes in a smooth flow. This is another good read for mothers and daughters. A passage that reminded me of my own mother is when Laura expresses how proud she is of her mother’s talent for sewing. “The way she lifted the presser foot and cut the thread, leaving things set up for a new day and a new job.” It brought back childhood memories of watching my own mother sew matching outfits for my cabbage patch doll and me. Sea Escape would also make a good movie. I imagine it would be like The Notebook in its own romantic, historic way.

Letters really do cast light on the ties between two people. This is a pleasant example of how books offer a whole story with behind-the-scenes footage and from different points of view.


Literary Marie's Rating: ♥♥♥


2 comments:

  1. Sounds fascinating! I'm adding to my TBR list

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  2. Sounds like a must read ! The book jacket design attracted my attention, can't wait to turn the pages...

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