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At the Water’s Edge

by Sara Gruen

Sara Gruen, author of Water for Elephants, returns with her fifth novel, a tale of privilege, ambition, romance, and self-discovery set in the Scottish Highlands during the final year of the Second World War.

At The Water's Edge (Sara Gruen) coverFor the improbable purpose of tracking down the Loch Ness monster and redeeming her father-in-law’s reputation, American socialite Maddie Hyde unwillingly dodges U-boats and contends with seasickness to travel to Scotland in 1945. Maddie makes her journey in the company of her husband, Ellis, and their friend Hank. The three arrive in the village of Drumnadrochit and take up residence at an inn run by the gruff but golden-hearted Captain Angus Grant.

The rationing of food, lack of electricity, and shared bathroom facilities appall the pretentious Ellis and Hank who, unable to enlist in the war for medical reasons, spend their leisurely days camped out by the loch, drinking and watching for signs of the monster. Maddie remains behind and gradually begins to form friendships with the inn’s staff. Disregarding Ellis’s insistence that she uphold the boundaries of her privileged social status, she pitches in to help with the cleaning and cooking.

Predictably, Maddie falls in love with Angus as her marriage to the increasingly drunk, angry, pill-addled, and unpredictable Ellis disintegrates. At the same time,  Maddie begins to see herself as more than just a pretty ornament (readers will fume over the insensitive way Ellis encourages her to eat sparingly and focus on being “the prettiest girl in the room”). The novel begins to resemble a made-for-Hollywood romance in which the delicate, sheltered Maddie is swept into the muscular arms of the battle-scarred Angus.

Despite well-crafted characters and accomplished dialogue, a too-convenient end to Maddie’s difficult marriage, incidental updates on the war’s progress, and the inevitable birth of wee bairns make for a formulaic read. Still, the story is frothy and not unpleasant, and might make for an entertaining feature film.

 

Reviewer: Dana Hansen

Publisher: Bond Street Books

DETAILS

Price: $29.95

Page Count: 368 pp

Format: Cloth

ISBN: 978-0-38566-448-6

Released: March

Issue Date: April 2015

Categories: Fiction: Novels