Book Review: beyond that, the sea

 Laura Spence-Ash's debut novel, 'beyond that, the sea' drew me in quickly and kept me turning pages eagerly. If you think this is just another WWII story, think again. This one is different. Five stars in my opinion.

Beatrix Thompson is an eleven-year-old British girl whose parents decide to send her to America when the Germans begin bombing London in 1940. Reg and Millie want only her safety. Shy Bea arrives on the docks of New York City, met by the Gregory family from Boston. They have two boys, William and Gerald. One is two years younger than she, and the other two years older. The Gregory family lifestyle is far different than what only-child Bea is accustomed to, but it doesn't take long for her to fit into this loving family. The boys become brothers to her, and she finds girlfriends at school, and a new way of living at the Maine summer home where the family lives during the summers when Mr. G has no more classes to teach and the children are out of school. Letters to and from home are a big part of the time Bea lives with the Gregory family. It is five years before the war is over, and then Bea must go home to London, where life has changed a great deal. But so has she, now sixteen. 

The rest of the novel jumps around in Bea's young adult life, as she blends into a new way of living in her home country while still keeping the Gregory family close in heart. Circumstances bring one of the Gregory boys to visit her, and send her back to Boston to reunite with her American family more than once. There is much more to reveal about this story, but to do so would be spoiling it for the reader.

The book is beautifully written. Divided into chapters headed by a character's name, the reader gets the point of view of the main characters, both those in America and the parents in the UK. The characters feel very real, ones the reader can relate to. The story shows how our childhood experiences follow us in adulthood. This tale is about the love of families, forgiveness, and mother-child relationships.

The format of the book is slightly different, breaking some rules writers normally adhere to, but the reader easily adapts to the author's way of writing dialogue. No quote marks, but done in italics. A conversation between two characters will be done in one paragraph rather than separating as each person speaks. Note that when reviews use the book title, they put it in capital letters, but the title on the book itself is done in all lower case letters. Another change from most books. These differences do not distract from the fine story this gifted author has given us. Five stars from this reviewer.

I look forward to more novels by Laura Spence-Ash.