Sea Defences

Two Mothers at War With the Elements and Each Other

Hilary Taylor author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Eye Books

Published:12th Jan '23

Should be back in stock very soon

Sea Defences cover

'Fans of Broadchurch will love it' Sarah Linley

SHORTLISTED FOR THE PAUL TORDAY MEMORIAL PRIZE 

SHORTLISTED FOR THE NEW ANGLE PRIZE

Rachel, a trainee vicar struggling to bond with her flock in the coastal town of Holthorpe, learns the terrifying power of the North Sea when her six-year-old daughter goes missing on the beach. Meanwhile Mary, a defiant and distrustful loner, is fighting her own battle against nature as the crumbling Norfolk shoreline brings her clifftop home ever closer to destruction.

Both scarred by life, the two women are drawn into an unlikely friendship, but Mary's misfit son Adam is nursing a secret. For Rachel, it will subject her battered faith to its greatest test: will she be strong enough to forgive?

In her taut, lyrical debut novel, Hilary Taylor weaves the bleak power of the East Anglian winter into a searingly honest psychological drama, as gripping as any thriller.

‘A tender, poignant and compassionate literary thriller’ Philippa East, author of Little White Lies

‘A mystery with heart and soul, and a poignant picture of a family living with loss – highly recommended’ Frances Quinn, author of The Smallest Man

‘A stunning debut: evocative descriptions, strong characterisation and a simmering tension which builds to a thrilling finale. Fans of Broadchurch, in particular, will love it’‍ Sarah Linley, author of The Trip

‘A stunning debut. You too could be swept away’ Saga Magazine

‘A compelling and powerful debut, laced with mystery and full of heart’ Alison Moore, author of The Lighthouse

‘Wonderful’ Janet Ellis, author of The Butcher’s Hook

‘A gripping read. The portrayal of a mother utterly consumed with wanting to know what happened to her daughter is totally believable – and heartbreaking’ Woman Alive

‘Powerful and raw, like the sea she describes so evocatively. Really wonderful writing, with characters you feel you know right through to the bones’  Amanda Berriman, author of Home

‘Raw, powerful, gripping and poetic. Next-level good’ Tim Ewins, author of We Are Animals

‘It’s haunting, gripping and filled with atmosphere. Its exploration of faith was genuine and moving, as a mother who loses her child searches for answers when there seem to be none’ Fran Hill, author of Cuckoo in the Nest

‘A stunning debut which will have you glued to the page. I’m a sucker for anything set in Norfolk but even taking that into account, this is top class’Sue Magee, The Bookbag *****

‘Poetry in prose. Written with warmth and wit’  Fiona Erskine, author of The Chemical Detective

‘Powerful and unputdownable. I was blown away’  Babbage and Sweetcorn

‘Utterly engrossing and atmospheric. An extraordinarily accomplished debut novel with its bare but beguiling prose and poignant exploration of loss’  Jane Jesmond, author of On the Edge

ISBN: 9781785633355

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: unknown

323 pages