I hope everyone has been enjoying Pride month! I had the pleasure of reading Song of the Sea By Jenn Alexander. This book was heavy, in a good way- everything about it felt very real to me and I could image it like I was watching a movie in my head. This is probably because the book is rich with beautiful imagery and Alexander doesn’t shy away from vividly describing an intense amount of grief.
Here’s the premise-
After the death of her infant son, Lisa Whelan goes to visit her Great Aunt in Nova Scotia Canada, a small town which borders the sea. Lisa is hoping that spending an extended time by the water, away from her old life, will help wash away the mountains of grief she’s feeling towards such a loss. Not bad thinking- water is something magical. While visiting the restaurant which her Aunt works, she meets Rachel Murray and her son, Declan. Rachel is a young mother who owns the restaurant with her father and works there as a waitress. Declan is her young son who is having a difficult time adjusting to his parent’s divorce. Lisa and Rachel are quick to form a friendship and enjoy each other’s company, but Lisa is scared to get invested in any sort of romantic relationship as Declan’s presence begs her attention to the fact that her own son is gone. Boundaries can’t be kept with such clear romantic tension and the two women struggle to find peace with the past in order to obtain a brighter future. This is one of those books where the happy ending is well deserved.
The relationship between Lisa and Declan was endearing. You have this misunderstood little boy who is hurting in his own right and can’t seem to navigate his life in a way that keeps himself out of trouble and he forms an attraction to Lisa, a woman who’s grief is bigger than he can imagine, and yet they are a good fit. Though Lisa struggles at first, I found she benefitted from his presence even though it brought her face to face with the fact that there’s so much her own son will miss out on. Declan helped her to move forward and not give up on that piece of herself who was meant to be a mother.
Lisa and Rachel’s developed relationship was definitely a slow burn. Lisa needed time and you felt for her, but I also felt bad for Rachel who was so alone. Sometimes a situation just has to play out and there’s nothing anyone can do about it. Cut right from the unfortunate realities of life. Relax, it’s a romance novel- everyone is good by the end, but the journey is harrowing in a tragically beautiful kind of way.
Bring this book to the beach or at the very least add it to your summer reading list if you enjoy romance books that don’t shy away from the hard stuff and are deep with emotional nuance.
https://www.amazon.ca/Song-Sea-Jenn-Alexander
Follow Jenn Alexander on Twitter: @JennAlexWrites and Instagram: @jenn.alexander.writes