A Wreck Of Seabirds

This novel, beautifully crafted and deeply emotional, immediately grips and provokes thought. Though initially confusing with its three intertwining storylines, once I connected these with the chapter headings (The Shore, The Shallows, and The Deep), I couldn't put it down and finished it in just a couple of sittings.

Briony and Ren, each grappling with grief and loss, return to their hometown. Ren cares for his dying father, while Briony clings to hope of finding her missing sister, Sarah. Interwoven with their stories are the mysteries behind Sarah's disappearance and the reasons for Ren's long absence. The concept of time as layered, not linear, make the stories feel concurrent and overlapping

Briony, Ren, and Sarah each experience universal emotions, despite their unique situations. They are isolated and trapped in different ways—physically on an island or emotionally by loss and grief. The novel’s themes highlight how they are central to their own stories, yet connected through their shared landscape and town.

Content advisory: The experiences the protagonists in this novel go through are pretty traumatic examples.