Psychological thriller set around BATON ROUGE, Louisiana
A library at sea on the Adriatic, CROATIA
29th October 2025
The Croatian Island Library by Eva Glyn, a library at sea on the Adriatic, Croatia.
This is such a lovely premise for a book. The catamaran, the Dida Krila (which means Grandfather’s Wings), is captained by Ana, and, as the novel opens, the other two team members are being welcomed aboard in Dubrovnik, sailing together for the next few weeks along the Dalmatian Coast, providing a library service for children. A map at the beginning has helpfully been included, which shows the route the boat takes on repeat every week. The crew will be stopping at various locations, providing a library facility for children.
The three people aboard the boat have very different personalities. Shy Nathali, along with her dog Obi, is generally in charge of cooking and kitchen duties and she is living with a stammer. Lloyd is a little older and the designated librarian, but he is in mourning for his wife, Jenny; but now, perhaps, it’s time to re-engage with life, and armed with his English tea bags, he is determined to move on. He has history, particularly in Korčula – unbeknownst to his fellow sailors – which leads to misunderstanding and upset. And Ana has had to wrestle with family demands to see her idea of a book boat coming to fruition, not an easy goal given the financial and familial pressures – the library-on-sea has to be a success on so many levels. She also has a past relationship which is preoccupying her more than she imagined it would.
The author has created an inspired concept, of three very different people living in close proximity and it is a great formula for getting to the heart of the characters, with all their individual pecadilloes, backstories and hopes for the future. Inevitably, after various tricky interchanges early on, they become a tour de force as they rally to get their project underway and established as a a going concern; and finding the wherewithal to give each other mutual support. It really is a delightful story of bonding, friendship and family.
The scenery is wonderfully evoked, from the smells and sights of the various islands, the Aleppo pines, the fish visible in the crystalline waters to those endless deep blue skies (although there is a storm whereby Obi gets tipped into the sea but (spoiler alert) gets rescued!). Reading this novel really is a tremendous way of diving into this part of the world and I defy readers not to to want to put this country on their ‘must visit’ list. The author clearly loves Croatia and has researched it in depth and shares her passion for all things Croatian through engaging writing.
Tina for the TripFiction Team
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