Body Surfing – Anita Shreve

Having thoroughly enjoyed one of Anita Shreve’s other books I was delighted to find a copy of Body Surfing in a charity shop last week, especially since it seems to be one of her most recent books into paperback.

This book tells the story of Sydney, once divorced and once widowed, all by the age of twenty-nine. She has the job of tutoring the eighteen year old daughter of a couple whilst living with them in their oceanfront New Hampshire cottage. Over time Sydney finds herself caught up in the lives of this family in a way that runs much deeper than anything you initially think.

Love and trust are two of the central themes to this book and the story is much more emotionally charged that I thought possible. Being the same age as Sydney, and having recently married, I found myself really feeling the raw emotions in this book whilst reading it, something that I think can be very difficult for an author to do. It is a wonderful though provoking book that certainly took me on an emotional journey as I travelled through the chapters.

After experiencing first hand Anita Shreve’s skill in bringing these feelings out of the page I will most certainly be keeping my eyes open for more of her books.