Liz Loves Books.Com.

Thank you kindly to the author and publisher for the review copy.

Elizabeth’s world is turned upside down when her husband dies in a tragic drowning accident.

How typical of her kind, generous husband – a respected police officer – to sacrifice his own life saving a complete stranger’s.

Elizabeth must face the consequences of her husband’s actions. As she does so, it seems that the end of Mike’s life is only the beginning of his wife truly getting to know him.

A very good friend of mine sent me a quote the other day. That quote was “You learn more about someone at the end of a relationship than at the beginning” How absolutely true that can be…as Elizabeth discovers in “Surrounded by Water”..

This is a novel about family. This is a novel about secrets. But mostly, mostly, this is a novel about grief. In all its forms, in all its gut wrenching, heart stopping, can’t breathe eat or sleep moments. And about coming out the other side no matter what the cost.

I absolutely refuse to tell you much about the ongoing story here apart from some very basic details. This book needs to be felt…and the more you know the less you will feel it. When Elizabeth loses her husband to a tragic accident, the ramifications of that spread like wildfire through the small community setting. As Elizabeth tries to come to terms with her loss, and realises that she didnt know everything there was to know about the man she loved after all, it is compelling, emotional, utterly profound and oh so very authentic.

This is not just about one woman. This speaks to the whole, the family unit which extends to friends and even acquaintances – How you support others in their grief when you are grieving yourself, how different personalities cope with the myriad of consequences to just one action…and how lives unravel with the simplicity of just knowing. I can’t make any more sense than that.

This was a wonderful if sobering reading experience. I will never forget this book. It will stay with my reading soul in the way that some do. Exquisite writing. Graceful and in a lot of ways inspiring, this one will hit you right in the heart.  And the letters. Oh my, the letters. I don’t think I have any tears left to cry.

To leave you with another quote.. Grief is the price we pay for love.

Find out more about the author here: http://stephaniebutland.com/

Follow her on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/under_blue_sky

Purchase Information: http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/stephanie+butland/surrounded+by+water/9959449/