Sea Changes

By Gail Graham

Newly widowed, Sarah tries to drown herself, only to discover an impossible, alternative world. Back on the beach she asks herself, Did that really happen? Or am I losing my mind? Her attempt to make... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 069200100X
• ISBN13: 9780692001004
• Release Date: May 2009
• Publisher: Jade Phoenix Publishing
• Length: 412 Pages
• Weight: 1.14 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 1.3" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

Well Written and Told

It would be easy to classify this book as "chick lit." However, that kind of classification would be inappropriate and fails to provide any guidance as to the nature of this book and how well written it is. I found this book difficult to put down, and the last half of the book was really difficult to put down. Simply, this book is intriguing, interesting, and well written. Sarah Andrews leads a depressed, boring life. Her husband passed away two months ago and she wanders around Bondi Junction in Australia, still in shock. Sarah has a daughter and a son, but the daughter is greedy and self-centered and her son works on an isolated oil platform; neither is there to comfort her. Sarah does not want her son to give up his career for her, and her daughter is a source of turmoil rather than solace. Sarah is seeing a psychologist, but while he is helping her in some ways, that help is also leading Sarah in a self-destructive direction. Sarah eventually comes to believe that her life is over. She swims into the ocean, having carefully planned how she will become a missing person. To her surprise, she hears the voice of a young girl, who wants Sarah to follow her, deep into the ocean. Sarah is intrigued that she is able to breathe. Sarah is even more intrigued to discover that there are people living under the ocean and they can read minds and emotions. Yet, after Sarah returns to the beach, we must wonder, was she drowning and dreamed the world of Bantryd, the girl who rescued her, and Xaxanader, the intriguing and handsome man she met there? Author Graham leaves us to wonder a while longer as Sarah tries to make sense of her experience. Fortunately, our wondering does not last long, as Sarah decides to return to the undersea world, if she was indeed there. Sarah dives once again about where she did before, and she (and we) wonders whether she has made a mistake. Fortunately, because she might have drowned for real this time, she indeed meets Xaxanader and Bantryd again. Alternatively, at least she thinks she does. This time Sarah learns more about how the people under the sea came to be and how they live. Sarah decides to return to the surface world, but Bantryd asks Sarah to take her to the surface world as well so that she might find her missing mother. Sarah agrees, but taking a naked girl completely unfamiliar with the customs of the surface world causes unexpected problems for Sarah, and for others, and Gail Graham's story becomes more complicated. Danger suddenly fills Sarah's staid, boring life and there is a risk that she might end up in jail. The events that follow after Sarah believes she has returned from her second trip to the underwater world again made me wonder whether Sarah had a grip on reality. Did Bantryd really exist or was it possible that she was actually a missing heir? Sarah becomes a different person as circumstances force her to think of someone other than herself. The question is, is that different

READ THIS ONE. YOU ARE IN FOR A UNIQE READING EXPIERENCE.

What an odd and fascinating work! I have to be honest here and tell you that I am not at all sure how to classify this rather unique read. First things first though. The plot of this work has pretty well been gone over quite well by several other reviewers here so I will not dwell on this aspect of the work and possibly bore you with what could only be repetition. As we can see by at least one review here, this is the kind of work that is just made for "spoilers" and I try to avoid those in my reviews like the plague. I become furious when I read a review full of them and I will be darn if I will be guilty of that particular transgression. In a few words, this is the story of a woman who has lost her husband; ergo she has lost her direction completely and is having a very difficult time coping, as many of us would. Most of us have choices as does Sarah, our main character. Sarah chooses suicide via drowning herself in the sea. Well, things don't work out so well with the killing herself thing, and she is drawn into a world, a fantasy type world, if you will, and meets a group of sea people...yes, folks, sea people, that live under the sea. Sarah it seems has the ability to breathe both air and water. Is it real? Is this a series of hallucinations just before death? Is it a dream sequence? Is it wishful thinking on Sarah' part? There is much to consider here and we have only started the read. No spoilers here! Through circumstances the reader will encounter, Sarah is returned to land along with a young girl. As the story progresses we find our heroine involved, supposedly, in a kidnapping and murder. Sarah is in a complete mess. How to escape, how to continue with her life, how to cope with her loss, how to love and live again...relationships, both good and bad, and situations that Sarah can control and situations she cannot. These are some of the questions and I must say, quirky and quickly turns this novel into something quite different than I have ever read. Now this is most certainly part chic lit as one reviewer here has described it. What might you ask is a rather elderly man doing reading chic lit? Well, it is because I enjoy good writing no matter the genre. And folks, I am her to tell you that this author can indeed write! To begin with, this entire novel is set in the present tense. This is a difficult trick to pull off. If you don't believe me, try it some times and be effective while you are doing it. It is quite easy for an author to blunder in this mode and make a mucky mess of the whole thing. Not so here! Once you get use to the author's method, which does not take many pages, it is absolutely delightful reading. I have never seen this style pulled off so well. Then we have the question; is this fantasy or is it not. Well, yes and no. There is an element of fantasy present but it certainly is not present in the traditional sense. One of the charms of this book is to figure out just where reali

A Great Read! Deep & Different!

Sarah Andrews lives in Australia, she has two grown children, a son whom she rarely sees, and a daughter who seems to barely tolerate her. She is also a widow, struggling to overcome her grief and move on, but it is fleeting to her. Even with the help of her therapist, her life seems to sink deeper and deeper into despair until one day she decides to end it by drowning. As she lets herself go in the cool water she looks down and sees the face of a girl named, Bantryd, who becomes an important character in the story. She is led to the bottom of the sea by this young woman and finds another world, and meets Bantryd's uncle, a connection seems to be made between the two. Sarah thinks she has drowned but they quickly assure her that she is very much alive and that she is a vestigant. I personally to my shame did not know what a vestigant was until I read this story. Interesting. Sarah returns to our world but soon is drawn back to the sea and finds out that Bantryd's mother is somewhere in our world and she wants Sarah to help find her. Sarah agrees, but when she returns to our world with Bantryd everything turns upside down for them. Bantryd almost dies, and Sarah is accused of kidnapping and murder and must make a decision that will either end her life and send her into eternity or plunge her into the world under the sea. This book keep me reading from beginning to end. The storyline is complex because it is layered with many twists and turns, emotions, fantasy, and truths all swirled together yet fragmenting off into their own right. It is one of love lost, new love, friendship, family ties and loyalty, regrets and closures, and birthing new beginnings. It is traumatic, yet tender, hopeless, yet hopeful and the ending is a true cliff-hanger. It caused me to think, ponder and wonder. One great read that I am proud to recommend.

Moving And Heartwarming

What a beautiful novel. Touching, heartwarming, with touches of fantasy and comedy. Graham is a true talent. And her DrivingChairmanBao blog shows the hysterically funny side of this very witty writer.

What a Read!

I really couldn't put this book down until I hit the last page. I was in there right from that first page. Its a pretty incredible story but in a weird sort of way you are running with it, streaming reality. You start off feeling sorry for Sarah Andrews. As the incredible experince unfolds, you end up finding that you are telling yourself that you would make the same decisions as she is making. This process draws you into Sarah's world and you absolutely have to know what happens next. After all, now its your world too. What I really love about an excellent book or play is when it stays with you well after you have put it down or left the theatre. "Sea Changes" has that "magic spell" which keeps alternate endings and plot possibilities playing in your headspace. This is definitely a break from restricted genre writing. Well done Gail Graham .........Anything is possible