The beach hut

This book was really something very special, a true joy to read. I knew from reading “A Night On The Orient Express” that Veronica Henry could craft a cleverly written novel but this book went one step further.

Jane Milton has been recently widowed and left with huge debts by her deceased husband, as a way to solve her issues she decides to sell her family beach hut in the small seaside town of Everdene. What follows is a chapter by chapter journey through the lives not only on Jane and her family but also a whole host of other characters who journey to the small seaside town and the little beach huts on the shore. We are taken back in time to the 60's and a love affair that will shape lives for many years to come. Henry weaves together tales of newlyweds, alcoholism, adoption, grief and they seamlessly blend chapter by chapter touching each other at points, some remaining stand alone tales.

It was a beautiful book, my first real summery read of the year that made me yearn for summer barbeques and fun family days on long summer nights. It made me want to pack my kindle and some wine and sneak off to one of the beach huts for a week and spend time just me and the ocean and the sun. It was so beautifully evocative and atmospheric.

I am absolutelt thrilled that Henry's new summer novel for 2014 is going to be “The Beach Hut Next Door” because if she decides to bring back some more tales from the characters in this book I will happily postpone everything to spend time with them all again, with maybe some new faces. I also nkw know that Henry's writing is clearly of a consistently high standard and so won't wait so long before delving back into the back catalogue for more joy and escapism.