Sea Defences
Two Mothers at War With the Elements and Each Other
Published on 12. January 2023
Book
Paperback/Softback
323 pages
978-1-78563-335-5 (ISBN)
Description
RUNNER UP: NEW ANGLE PRIZE
SHORTLISTED: PAUL TORDAY MEMORIAL PRIZE
SHORTLISTED: CREATIVE SUFFOLK AUTHOR
'Fans of Broadchurch will love it' Sarah Linley
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.
SHORTLISTED: PAUL TORDAY MEMORIAL PRIZE
SHORTLISTED: CREATIVE SUFFOLK AUTHOR
'Fans of Broadchurch will love it' Sarah Linley
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.
Reviews / Votes
'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
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Eye Books
Dimensions
Height: 191 mm
Width: 130 mm
Thickness: 30 mm
Weight
264 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78563-335-5 (9781785633355)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
Hilary Taylor is a graduate of Edinburgh University and lives in Suffolk, where she taught for almost twenty years. She has five grown-up children and, at the last count, eight grandchildren.
Her short fiction has been published in magazines and anthologies and she was the winner of the Bridport Prize for Flash Fiction in 2022. Sea Defences, her first novel, began life as a prize-winning short story, placed third in the Bath Short Story Award.
Her short fiction has been published in magazines and anthologies and she was the winner of the Bridport Prize for Flash Fiction in 2022. Sea Defences, her first novel, began life as a prize-winning short story, placed third in the Bath Short Story Award.