Phyllida Shrimpton

3.75⭐

As the story begins, we meet thirty-four-year-old Melody, a resident of the community of Shelly in Exmouth on the southern English coast. Melody has spent her whole life in her family home, a bungalow named “Spindrift”. After the demise of her mother Flora and younger brother Milo who was born with a developmental disability, she now lives alone, surrounded by the familiarity of the sea and the coastal community and memories of her family. She still spends her time collecting her “treasures”- flotsam and jetsam from the seashore - and making up stories about her finds as she had been doing since she was a child to entertain Milo. But her days in her childhood home are about to come to an end once her lease is up and the community is razed to the ground to allow for a new development. Melody must figure out how to move on and decide on what she wants to do with the rest of her life. Complicating matters further is a secret she discovered among her late mother’s belongings – a reality that would irrevocably impact her relationship with her dear cousin Juliana with whom she shares a close bond. The narrative follows her as she navigates the challenges life throws her way and faces losing the only home she knew, her relationship with her cousin, and a budding romance with a childhood crush.

The Storyteller by the Sea by Phyllida Shrimpton is a beautifully written story that revolves around themes of love, grief, community, family and belongingness. The narrative is presented in the first-person narrative format from Melody’s perspective. The present-day timeline is set in the late 1980s, and we get to know more about her childhood and family history with chapters set in multiple past timelines interspersed throughout the narrative. I loved the description of the coastal community and thought the emotional bond between each of her friends and family members was described with much sensitivity, especially her bond with Milo. I felt that the story became a tad convoluted as the narrative progressed but not so much as to detract from the overall reading experience. I enjoyed following Melody’s journey but thought certain aspects of her life could have been explored in more depth, allowing for better character development and personal growth. I would have also loved it if more of her ”stories” had been woven into the narrative. However, overall, I thought this was a moving story that would strike a chord in your heart.

This was my first time reading this author and I hope to explore more of her work.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Aria & Aries for the digital review copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.… (altro)

"Every Shade of Happy" focuses on the relationship between an elderly grandad and his teenage granddaughter. Algernon is perfectly happy in his well-ordered life, living in the same house as he did with his deceased wife Evie. When his estranged daughter Helene and granddaughter Anna come to live with him, a rocky period of adjustment takes place. As Anna and Algernon work through misunderstandings and differences, they find many things they hold in common. Anna learns a lot about the secret recesses of her grandad's life, and Algernon finds happiness and some little adventures with the colorful and artistic Anna. Readers should be prepared for tears as well as laughter in this book that bridges the gap between generations. The alternating point of view takes a couple of chapters to get into, but it is worth persisting. Be sure to read the author notes at the end for information on how this tender story originated.

I received this novel from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.… (altro)

A project for her A-level studies sends seventeen-year-old Saffron on a search for old family photographs – “the kind that have sepia ancestor staring across time….” The attic, a space she has always been forbidden to go into because she had been warned of the dangers of slipping between the rafters, seemed to be a good place to look. However, whilst there she discovers a leather briefcase which holds a secret which has been kept from her for ten years, a secret which means she now has to re-assess her past and consider how to face the future. She had been told by her father that her mother had died following a long illness, but it has now become clear that he had lied and that her mother is probably still alive.
For a time after her mother had disappeared Saffron had helped her father to care for her two younger brothers, Daniel who was four years younger, and Archie who was just a baby, making her feel that she almost a mother-substitute for them. Then, when her father married Melanie her brothers soon adapted to having a step-mother but Saffron never did, always feeling that this “interloper” had usurped their mother’s place. The arrival of half-sister Charlotte made her feel even more side-lined in the family, although to all outsiders the family appeared to be a loving and united one.
Full of hurt and rage at the lies she has been told, and her father’s apparent reluctance to tell her the full story of her mother’s disappearance, Saffron packs a bag and leaves home, determined to find her mother and discover the truth for herself. She assumes that her best friend Tom, who is two years older and whom she has known since she was eight, will allow her to sleep on his sofa. When he inexplicably refuses, and when she then finds out that she is too young to book into a hotel, she is too stubborn and angry to return home. However, she is about to discover that being homeless on the streets will expose her to all sorts of danger, and to situations she has no experience of dealing with.
This story takes place over the period of a week and switches between the perspectives of Saffron and Tom, enabling the reader to gain insights into their childhood bond and the changes which have come about since they reached adolescence. Although there were times when I found that I wanted to shake Saffron out of her over-indulged complacency and her apparent lack of awareness of other people’s feelings, I did manage to keep in mind that the feelings of hurt, betrayal and anger she was feeling were very real! Her initial lack of acknowledgement that her impetuous disappearance created as much hurt and turmoil for her father, her step-mother and her siblings could also be put down to her self-absorption but could equally be attributable to normal teenage angst! I found it far easier to like Tom; he lives in a council flat, has few of Saffron’s material advantages but has far greater levels of empathy. However, he too has secrets and finds it difficult to communicate his real feelings, leading to lots of misunderstandings between the pair.
Facing her protagonist with sleeping rough under a bridge, along with creating the unforgettable character of homeless, trolley-pushing Maggie, enabled the author to explore the plight of the homeless, their vulnerability to abuse (from having their possessions stolen, being beaten up and verbally abused to suffering the indignity of being pissed on by late-night revellers), the high levels of alcoholism and drug-taking, the lack of hostel accommodation, their inability, without a fixed address, to claim benefits, soup kitchens etc. She also uses the story-line to bring home to Saffron (and the reader!) that behind every homeless person is personal history which can explain their homelessness, thus conveying the message that we should never forget that the line between “us and them” can often be a very fine one. Important as these messages are, I thought that there were times when their repetition threatened to create an imbalance in the story-telling.
Although this story had some thought-provoking moments, I think it would have demonstrated a far greater psychological integrity had other members of the family been allowed to voice the impact Saffron’s actions, and apparent rejection, had on them. There were occasional glimpses of this, but these served only to remind me that I would have liked more! This book is aimed at a YA readership but, with its rather simplistic approach and language, I think would better suit young teenagers.
I found this an engaging, easy to read story but, whilst it does cover some important themes, especially the impact of long-term deceit within a family, the grooming of vulnerable young people and issues around the plight of the homeless, these are all dealt with rather superficially, so I think it would have minimal appeal for reading groups.

With thanks to Hot Key Books and Readers First for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.… (altro)