Thriller set in the Pacific Ocean (“they had found Paradise….”) Plus Author Q and A

27th December 2015

The Blue by Lucy Clarke, novel set in the Pacific Ocean.

“They had found Paradise. What would they do to keep it?”

Lucy Clarke on a research trip

Lana and Kitty are best friends from childhood, locked together through a shared loss of their mothers and a childhood spent in each other’s company. They are close. When Lana decides that her Father has acted irresponsibly, the two young women spin a globe, and  head spontaneously to the Philippines.

A hot and sultry destination, they learn to thread their way through the tangled streets of a coastal town, dodging three wheelers, mayhem and animals. Very soon they meet the crew members of The Blue, a yacht skippered by Aaron and other young people, and after an initial taster they are on board for the duration.

The yacht is headed for Palau, across a vast stretch of the Pacific Ocean, with the odd tropical island stop on the way. The crew inevitably has to contend with cramped quarters and find ways of getting along, and initially all goes smoothly, it’s an exhilarating, magical and carefree existence. But Lana in particular is sensing an unease that bothers her, the dynamics between the group start to shift, subtly at first, but gradually the claustrophobia of living below deck, and lack of sleep brought about by the rota for keeping watch increases. The author starkly portrays the tensions and mistrust, the proximity of characters in a confined space, the back-biting, and shifting dynamics. This is Paradise going sour. The storm brewing in the boat is mirrored by a storm at sea and things come to a searing head that shatters their co-existence as relationships fracture, and mistrust seeps into every crevice. Death arrives.

That was “THEN”, as each chapter is titled. “NOW” finds Lana in New Zealand, several months later, where she learns that The Blue has sunk 100 nautical miles off the New Zealand coast. She is still coming to terms with the ending of her time on the boat – an important period in her life, devastating and raw. She left the boat in Palau, leaving Kitty on board after a monumental falling out, and the backstory for the ruction is pieced together as she looks back to “THEN”. But who will be rescued from the boat? As the survivors come in, Lana anxiously looks for the familiar faces. Relatives arrive. Tensions mount.

This is a gripping read that has all the flavour and complexity of life on board a small yacht. There are beautiful – and scary – tropical island adventures; there are miles of blank sea; there are shifting dynamics between the crew members…. To buy the book and take yourself on a tide-ripping journey, simply click here or pick up a copy at your local bookshop.

Tina for the TripFiction Team.

Lucy kindly answers our questions:

TF: At the beginning of the book, the girls, Kitty and Lana spin the globe and decide they are going to head for the Philippines. What made you choose that as the starting point for the book?

LC: I love the boldness of the girls’ decision – the feeling of possibility that consumes them as the globe spins. I keep a globe on my writing desk and I regularly turn it, daydreaming about where I’m going go next. I wonder if this subconsciously fed into the story.

TF: I understand you had a couple of stints researching life on a yacht – you joined the MV Solita and sailed on Sea Spine. In the book, you capture the sense of freedom on the one hand, but on the other also the nightmare of being quartered in very close proximity below deck – especially when the relationships between some crew members are strained. Are you yourself drawn to do more sailing and which aspects do you find negative, which positive?

LC: I wanted to set the novel on a yacht because it provides such an interesting dichotomy between the freedom and space of sailing on the open ocean, set against the almost claustrophobic intensity of sharing a small stretch of space with a group of very different people. I thought it’d be an interesting playground for characters to learn about each other – and themselves.

For me, I’m certainly drawn to do more sailing. I love the thrill of being out in the elements, trying to understand the sea, the weather, the currents – and make choices that can impact on whether you make it to land safely – or not.

TF: There is quite a dark heart to the book. When you write, do you map out where you are going with the storyline or does it evolve as the characters develop and mature?

LC: Before beginning my first draft of The Blue, I put together a fairly comprehensive plot outline, which included many of the twists. However, as I started writing the novel – and the characters and their motivations came to life – new ideas and twists presented themselves. In fact, the epilogue in The Blue, was only added in the editing stages – and felt like a bit of a ‘lightbulb’ moment.

TF: In your previous books setting has been very strong – you have taken your readers to Tasmania, Bali, Australia and more. What are you working on at the moment and where will it be set? And if indeed setting is strong, what has your research been?

LC: There is something about slinging a few belongings into a bag, and heading off on a plane, train or ferry, that gives me the most incredible sense of freedom. The break from routine, the stepping out of one’s ordinary world and into another, is surely good for the soul. (At least, it feels very good to my soul!) What I see, hear, smell, and taste while travelling certainly inspires my writing, but it is also the very fact of being away that I find interesting in terms of fiction. I’m intrigued to see how characters behave outside the usual parameters of their daily lives. Routine can be limiting, so I like to explore what happens when a character is taken out of their comfort zone and dislocated from their family and friends. What then?

My new book is set in a series of beach huts perched on a sandbank on the coast of England. The story is about two best friends, whose sons go missing from the same beach on the same day – but seven years apart.

TF: Judging by the locations you have used so far in your work, you must be a keen traveller. What are your favourite destinations and what is still on you “must-visit” list? Any top tips?

LC: Yes, I love to travel. My husband and I spend most winters abroad (we’re both self-employed, which means we’re able to take our ‘offices’ with us). I think my favourite places I’ve travelled so far include Tasmania (where A Single Breath was set), and also New Zealand and Maui. In the New Year we’re heading off to Sri Lanka, which I’m hugely excited about . . . and I hope that the trip will find its way into a book in the future.

TF: What books are you currently enjoying and looking forward to reading personally?

LC: This year I’ve read some wonderful books, including, A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler, I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh, and Wild by Cheryl Strayed. My favourite author, Maggie O’Farrell, is due to release her new book in a few months’ time – so that will be going straight to the top of my To Be Read pile!

Thank you to Lucy and we wish her bon voyage for her trip to Sri Lanka. (Photos © Lucy Clarke)

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