Novel set in Cornwall (“a poetic stranger from the sea”)

• Book: A Cornish Stranger
• Location: Helford
• Author: Liz Fenwick

Review Author: tripfiction

As you gaze out from your window upon the dark, mighty storm raging over the creek, what happens when you see someone clawing their way through churning waters and starting to drown? You take your own life in your hands and dive in to the swirling torrent to save them….

Warnings ensue: “Save a stranger from the sea, and he’ll turn your enemy” Will this old saying hold true???

It is Gabe (short for Gabriella) who spots Fin thrashing in the water of the creek on that fateful night, after his boat, on which he has been living is holed. She has given up her city life to move down to Cornwall, in order to look after her Grandmother Jaunty in the final period of her life. Theirs is a family that has seen more than its fair share of loss and tragedy over the years, and the strands of their individual backstories weave together to make a satisfying narrative. It is a book that taps into so many senses: there are the dulcet tones of opera and music galore, the smell of the paints in Jaunty’s studio waft over the prose in oily ripplets, the tang of seawater sifts through the consciousness, and the visual imagery of the surrounding countryside is tantalisingly evoked in a painterly and imaginative way. In other words, a great book to feature on TripFiction.

Jaunty has been a reclusive artist, living at Bosworgy, who shares the details of her life by writing down her story – shattering revelations will only come once she has passed away. Gabe, too, has struggled with a traumatic event in her past that has impacted significantly on her singing career as a soprano.

Initially, it can be a challenge to keep the various stories straight, but as the book progresses, that settles. There is so much sadness to be processed for both of them, but other characters bowl up and help restore a sense of order and balance. There is a lightness of touch in the writing,and despite dealing with difficult scenarios, there is depth that makes this an enjoyable read for Summer 2014.

For more books written by Liz Fenwick check out our original blogpost here

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