Beyond That, the Sea

This debut novel by Laura Spence-Ash is a slow-paced, character-driven historical fiction that spans a 25 year timeframe from the beginning of WWII through 1965. It tells the story of a young girl, Beatrix, who is sent from London to Boston to live with an American family while London is unsafe due to the war. The book explores how children who were shipped to safety are affected by being uprooted and how the relationships they form with their host families impact their lives both during and after the war.

Beatrix, or Bea, adapts well to her life in Boston and Maine, where the family spends its summers. She grows attached to the Gregory family during the five years she spends with them. She struggles when she returns to London because Boston and Maine now feel more like home to her. The book follows Bea, the members of the Gregory family, and Bea's mother over the course of 25 years as their lives and relationships evolve.

This book is very well-written with beautiful descriptive language. The author captures moments vividly so the setting and the character's emotions are imprinted on the reader's mind. The book moves at a slow pace that I found very relaxing even though much of the content is deeply emotional. There is an almost melancholy feeling to the reading experience but in a satisfying way, like the calming of a rainstorm.

There are many points of view in the book, some more necessary to the story than others. I often wished while reading that the points of view of some characters would be developed more and that some would not have been included at all. The first part of the story focused on Bea and her two families, and I found the development satisfying. In the second and third parts, other voices were added and chunks of time were skipped leaving me feeling like there were gaps in the development.

I really enjoyed my experience reading this book. I cared about the characters and the outcome of their individual stories. I am interested to see what the author produces next.