“Lights on the Sea” by Miguel Reina

Title: Lights on the Sea
Author: Miguel Reina, Catherine E. Nelson (Translator)
Publisher: Amazon Crossing
Year: 2018    
Genre(s): adventure, magical realism
Part of a Series: No

Rating: 

Why I read it: Once Upon a Book Club pick

Summary: Harold and Mary Rose Graves are being forced out of their house due to how close it is to the edge of a cliff. The night before they need to leave, a terrible storm causes their house to fall into the sea below. It turns into a boat and they drift on the tide, finding an adventure they never imagined and the healing they’ve needed for thirty-five years.

Review: Normally I try to avoid spoilers on this blog but I will warn that if you are upset by death of children or animals, you might want to skip this book.

With that out of the way, let’s proceed with the review!

I generally liked this book but before we get into why, I did have one quibble and one concern about it I wanted to get out of the way first. Since they are connected, I’ll just address both at once.

Based on the summary, I thought the story would feature the Grapes traveling to more places and meeting more people. Instead, they really only got stuck in the North and were rescued by a group of Indigenous people. They are the ones who teach the Grapes the lessons they needed to learn, which upon further reflection feels…icky. That these characters just exist to help the white leads learn Important Life Lessons.

If the Grapes had traveled to more places and met more people, maybe they could’ve learned these lessons from diverse sources instead.

Because it was a good lesson and really informed their character development – to really live rather than just going through the motions like the Grapes have been doing since a tragedy changed their lives forever. They slowly find their zest for life again and their adventure brings them joy.

And I wanted them to find all that. I really rooted for them and felt they were well-developed characters. From Mary Rose’s love of flowers and pragmatism to Harold’s mechanical know-how and out-of-the-box thinking, they felt multi-dimensional and like they fit each other well. It was clear why they were a good couple.

The descriptions of them sailing in their house were very well done as well. I felt as if I was really there with them – in their house or in the ocean, facing the water with them. Reina did a great job with those passages.

He also did a great job describing the frozen tundra the Grapes end up calling home for a little while as well as the encampment built by the Indigenous people who take them in. Description and creating a setting is definitely one of his strong points.

Bottom line: A good and inspiring read despite some questionable choices.

Sex: None.

Moonlight Musing

What would you do if your house suddenly became a boat and you were at the mercy of the ocean?