Frank Mercy is an American expat in Brisbane, Australia, when his wife and unborn child perish in a tsunami. A former police officer, he is a volunteer first responder and helps rescue the survivors of the flood. Among them is a mysterious young boy whom Frank feels compelled to protect and care for. He decides to bring the 3-year-old back to the States with him, but he soon realizes that the boy seems to have supernatural powers and that dangerous people are looking for him. Back in Wisconsin, Frank takes up the family business as a trainer of elite show jumping horses, hoping to put the past behind him and give the child as normal a life as he can have, given his powerful gift.
Two If by Sea is beautifully written, and Jacquelyn Mitchard is completely in command of her narrative. In addition, the main characters are well developed and complex. The book deals with family, grief and healing, and while it is sometimes dark, it remains deeply hopeful. The only negative comment I would have is that it seems a bit too easy for Frank to take the boy to the US, without legally adopting him. Other than that, this is a riveting book, definitely worth reading.
Two If by Sea was sent to me for free in exchange for an honest review.
Jacquelyn Mitchard has 9 children, and most of them are named after characters in fiction.
A financial advisor stole most of the author’s money after she became famous for writing The Deep End of the Ocean (the first Oprah Book Club pick). She had to sell her house in Madison, Wisconsin where part of Two If by Sea takes place.
Jacquelyn Mitchard’s favorite novel is A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith.
Like Frank Mercy, the author’s parents rode and trained horses in Wisconsin.
Cécile Sune was born in Lyon, France, and her obsession with books started when she was 14. Her grandparents had lent her Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, and she spent part of the summer indoors reading. Needless to say, her tan didn't really improve that year! It was also around that time that Cécile fell in love with the English language. Several years later, in 1999, Cécile moved to Toronto, Canada, with her cat and 5 suitcases. Her love of reading greatly increased when she discovered that English books were much cheaper than French novels. In 2013, she decided to start a blog to share her passion. Cécile now lives in Ottawa, Canada, with her husband and their daughter, and works as a freelance translator (CS Revision).
Victoire Charpentier is a young woman living in Lucie-sur-Vionne, France, at the end of the 18th century. When her father dies in a coach accident and her mother is drowned for witchcraft, she has no choice but to go to Paris to work as a scullery maid for a noble family. Overwhelmed by the big city and abused by the Marquis who employs her, life doesn’t get any easier for…
Arthur Pepper has lost his wife Miriam a year earlier, and his grief is still very raw. He rarely goes out and spends his days vigorously cleaning every corner of his house, talking to his plant and avoiding his well-meaning neighbor Bernadette. When he finds a mysterious charm bracelet in his wife’s wardrobe, his curiosity is picked, and he sets out to discover the stories behind each charm. His quest will…
Reba Riley was raised in an Evangelical Pentecostal household where they used Jesus-themed paper napkins. After high school, she went to ministry training but started questioning her faith when her parents got a divorce. Later, when she left the Church, she experienced a total loss of identity or, as she likes to call it, post-traumatic church syndrome. Then she started to feel really sick, and doctors were not able to…
