A young couple, Ruth and Michael, has bought an old manse. While renovating, they discover a baby buried in the house. Unusually, the baby's legs are fused together. The story goes back and forth among the couple, a vicar, Alexander Ferguson, who had ministered to the people there, and his housemaid, Moira. The couple wishes to discover the wife's background; she had been raised in an orphanage, not knowing who her father was and her mother allegedly committing suicide. The vicar wishes to find out the truth about the legends of selkies, mermaids, and Finnmen. Darwin's theory has just exploded on the world and the reverend wants to find out how these legends might be real people and fit into the evolutionary chain. Moira carries a torch for him. The novel kept my interest all through and the different viewpoints added to it. A satisfactory ending was very logical. ( )

This was a book of mystery and legend, and set in in modern times and in the 1800s.

First there is Ruth who came the Hebrideans cos her mother said she had come from there. But she does not know anything more than that or who her father was. She also had a really crappy home after her mother died and she has some issues from that. This book is then also her discovery of her own past. And she also wants to find out about the house they live in as they find a "mermaid" baby under the floor. The selkie myth also behinds the two stories together as Ruth's mother said they came from selkies.

Back in time reverend Alexander Ferguson comes to the far away Hebrideans and his new parish. He is trying to find out about the truth about mermaids/selkies. Back in his time we also see through the eyes of Moira, his maid. She did not have an easy lot in life. The laird of the isle is evil and evicts his people and sends them to Canada cos he wants the land. And living there was hard to begin with. And while I read about these two I wondered how the baby got there, but there is much to go through before that.

I also loved the explanation she used for the selkie myth. it is one that has been known, but yes like Alexander I would have loved the idea of real selkies. I will not tell you anything more cos if you do not know the explanation then you can be surprised here.

Some books I read fast, some I read slower. This one was one of the slower ones as I had to take it all in, the prose was different too and it's one of those books you read and reflect on. ( )

See full review @ The Indigo Quill

Special thanks to St. Martin's Press and Litfuse Publicity for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Elisabeth Gifford has emerged on the scene as a gifted new author who is on her way to master the art of storytelling. Not only does The Sea House possess a captivating cover, but Gifford writes with a flow so smooth and intrinsic that you'll have no choice but to resolve to wanting more. Being a first novel, I was very impressed, and I hope to see more from Miss Gifford in the near future.

The Sea House is a haunting tale that intertwines lore and verity to where the two are no longer decipherable. Readers will enjoy the mystery and chilling nature of the premise, and become enchanted with this story. It pulled me in quickly. I love the style of writing and the smooth transitions. Not to mention, it's always exciting to read a book from a different country because the linguistics are so different and fresh compared to what I'm used to. I find myself looking up meanings to words and learning something new. Then I can go and look cool in front of my friends. Just kidding...kind of. :)

The book is a dual-time narrative that takes place on the Hebrides Islands of Scotland where the young married couple, Ruth and Michael, are renovating an old sea house. Ruth is struggling to break free free the chains of emotional damage from the past as the two try to build a home together. In the process, they discover old bones of a baby who seemed to have been born with its legs fused together...like a mermaid. Thus begins the story of Alexander Ferguson, who was a newly appointed vicar in the 1800's with a scientific background.

There were many things I liked about this book. The tone of it was enchanting and interesting. I honestly wasn't expecting so much mystery to be weaved into the plot, but I loved every bit of it. If I had one thing to pick out that was weak, it would be the present-day characters. I liked them, but I felt more attached to Alexander and Moira than I did Ruth and Michael. However, this being the author's first novel and being a dual-narrative at that is still impressive and I applaud Gifford for a successful start.

This is definitely a great read! ( )

When LitFuse offered The Sea House for review, I jumped at the chance. Although I didn’t know anything about the author, Elisabeth Gifford, I love reading fiction by authors outside of the United States. They generally have a unique perspective that makes the reading experience even more meaningful. Then I got an email allowing for an opt-out of the review tour due to objectionable language and difficult subject matter. Now I really was intrigued! Instead of opting out I decided to give it a go and give you an honest review of her debut novel, The Sea House. So here it is –

Ruth and Michael are a young couple determined to bring an old manse on the wild coast of a Hebridean island back to life. Its transformation into a B&B is the focus of their life until the body of a deformed child is found buried beneath the floor boards of their home. The find affects Ruth deeply and she endeavors to discover the history and identity behind the mystery. With nothing more than a journal from a curate who occupied the house over 100 years before, Ruth embarks on a journey that will help her confront her own demons.

Gifford’s writing style is beautiful. Life in the Hebrides, both past and present, is vividly depicted. Her characters are complex and wrestle with real life trauma, guilt and questions of faith. The Sea House is not always an easy read. There are lots of difficult subjects explored — physical and sexual abuse, suicide, and depression among them. But I never felt overwhelmed by the emotions produced. Gifford always held out a glimmer of hope. Three points of view are presented, all told in first person. Ruth is a modern woman struggling with anger and guilt from childhood trauma, Moira is a 19th century maid with plans of revenge following the loss of her family and home, and Alexander is a 19th century curate who never feels good enough for the grace offered by his savior. The stories seem disparate at the beginning, but end up becoming a beautiful whole in the end. The setting of the Hebrides and the Sea House in particular serves as a character of its own, impacting the characters and speaking to the reader through its heartache and beauty.

I would not characterize The Sea House as Christian fiction. It is published by a secular publishing house and it contains language that can be deemed offensive to many. One character has an outburst that hit me like a slap in the face. But the language suited both the character and the scene. Also, while most of the characters have problems, only one really turns to God for answers. Alexander’s struggle with being good enough, doing enough, was wonderfully depicted. I also really enjoyed the examination of the evolution debate from the point of view of scientists and clerics contemporary with Charles Darwin. And while you may think the book is going one way, you may be surprised with the outcome of that examination. The legends of the Selkies and mermaids indigenous to the western islands of Scotland are fascinating and create a great framework for the story.

All in all, I liked The Sea House and would recommend it with the qualifications of profanity and adult subject matter.

Recommended: please note there is profanity and adult subject matter that may be offensive . This is not Christian fiction.

Audience: Adults.

(Thanks to LitFuse and St. Martin’s Press for a review copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.) ( )

A tale within a tale, of mermaids, selkies, and the things that haunt us. The tall proud Sea House is home to them all. When Ruth and Michael buy the house to restore it they have no idea what they will uncover. Underneath the living room lies the body of what appears to be a baby mermaid. Their discovery leads Ruth on a quest to find out more about the original inhabitants were and in the process she finds out more about her past. Raised in a children's home after her mother's apparent suicide, the only real family Ruth has ever had was with Michael and their soon to be born child. Ruth's feelings of abandonment rise as she is trying to find out the mermaid baby's family. Depression sets in as she uncovers the history of the house with the aid of the island folk. Together they piece together the house's past, the mermaid baby's past, and Ruth's past.

A toughing tale told through three unique viewpoints and full of folklore, mythology, and culture. For fans of historical fiction and folklore.

I received this book for free from Litfuse Publicity in return for my honest, unbiased opinion. ( )