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Book lover. Stephen King Fanatic. Will try anything once. General Lover of Fiction. Reviewer Everywhere.  All views my own. Mostly.

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The Boat by Clara Salaman - Review

The Boat - Clara Salaman

Thank you kindly to Head of Zeus for the review copy.

 

They thought they had been rescued. They were wrong…
When a boat appears out of a raging storm, Johnny and his new bride Clem don’t think twice about stepping on board to take refuge, especially as it is crewed by a bohemian couple who represent everything they want to be. But all is not what it seems. And when they finally open their eyes to the truth, the boat is in the middle of the vast open sea…

 

The best word I can use to describe this particular novel is “haunting” – absolutely. I’m aware that it is based (not sure how loosely) on events from the authors life but during the reading of it I put that aside – trying to work out where fact leaves the story and fiction begins, or how much of a mix and match make up the world within, would be almost impossible and probably best left alone..

 

Johnny and Clem, newlyweds, are on their honeymoon – drifting from place to place working as they go, no particular plan in mind, they get themselves into a bit of trouble. Like a small miracle, Frank, Annie and their daughter Smudge take them in and offer them shelter…seemingly living the life that Clem and Johnny aspire to, they travel on together and a friendship develops.  There is darkness just below the surface however and as things take a sinister turn, Johnny and Clem realise there is nowhere to run.

 

This is an intriguing tale to be sure and one that creeps up on you in unexpected ways. With a deft touch, Clara Salaman can take you from sunshine to rain in moments – a sudden look, a slight feeling, a seemingly innocent event, all building in your subconcious until, very much like Johnny and Clem, you realise that there is something very wrong here.

 

Some beautiful descriptive writing gives this one its haunting feel – and I loved the fact that the characters got right into your senses as well as your thoughts – I could almost feel the sea breeze along with Clem and sense the currents of the ocean along with Johnny. There is also a sense of wonder that goes along with the happier portions of the story that is quite exhilarating.

 

I was hooked by this one the entire journey. If I had one tiny bugbear, its that for me, the ending didnt quite hit me as I expected it would. That is purely subjective however and each reader will take their own thoughts and feelings away from this one. I would definitely recommend it, especially for those who like a book with great psychological insight into its characters and an authentic sense of place and time.

 

Happy Reading Folks!