On the Broken Shore

by James MacManus

Have you ever wanted to just leave everything and disappearCan the instinct for survival overcome almost anythingLeo Kemp's life should be idyllic. He has a job that he loves at the Institute of Marine Biology and he lives in Cape Cod with his wife and daughter. But beneath the tranquil surface of their lives, heartbreak lingers; a few years ago their son was drowned in an accident at sea and the family cannot come to terms with his death.When Leo loses his job thanks to his outspoken views, he decides to go on one last field trip with his students. But the outing turns to tragedy when the sea rises up and Leo is thrown overboard. Despite everyone's best efforts, Leo is missing, presumed dead; lost at sea just like his son.The aftermath of the tragedy hits the community hard. But, amidst the grief, rumours that a man has been sighted living on an uninhabited island a few miles off shore begin to circulate. Could there be hope yet

Genres: Fiction

304 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2010

About the author

James MacManus has worked in the newspaper business for 46 years. He is currently the Managing Director of the Times Literary Supplement.

He is the author of On the Broken Shore (The Language of the Sea, UK edition), and Ocean Devil: The Life and Legend of George Hogg which was made into a film starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers

His latest book, Black Venus, is a vivid novel of Charles Baudelaire and his lover Jeanne Duval, the Haitian cabaret singer who inspired his most famous and controversial poems, set in nineteenth-century Paris. Duckworth will publish the UK edition of Black Venus on February 27th 2014.The UK edition follows the successful launch of the novel in the US by Thomas Dunne books of New York.

Reviews

[Tina Tamman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have you ever read a book for the wrong reasons, with certain expectations in mind? I picked up this book because it was described as being about the disappearance of a man, so I immediately assumed that disappearance is a conscious act involving preparation and I would enjoy a book like that. I was wrong: the book is about the sea and marine life. Not that it means I didn't enjoy the novel but it is totally different from what I expected.
It is an interesting and unusual book all the same. I will not spoil it by revealing too much about it. However, it is the story - of the kind that Graham Greene used to call 'entertainments' - that the novel is all about. There is very little characterisation, very little psychology in it, which is why it merits no more than three stars. Not enough meat for me.

[Elle Wood · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nonsense. Nice attempt at a modern myth.

[Deborah Mantle · Rating 3 out of 5]

In ‘On the Broken Shore’, James MacManus offers some interesting insights into human-wildlife relations. On a field trip with his students off the coast of Cape Cod, marine biologist Leo Kemp is swept overboard. Kemp survives, but instead of returning home to the memories of a dead son, a troubled marriage and the loss of his job, he chooses to remain with a pod of grey seals. How Kemp had reached this point of turning his back on humanity, what he learns from his life with the seals and how his family deals with his disappearance form the main part of the story.

The information on seal behaviour and human-seal relations comes from research done by the author. MacManus returned to the university he graduated from, St Andrews in Scotland, to talk with seal experts at the Sea Mammal Research Unit. The novel was a effortless way for me to learn more about sea mammals and the wildlife and landscape of Cape Cod. The story moves along quickly and the plot is enthralling (will Kemp turn his back on humanity for good?); however, I didn’t find the human characters particularly sympathetic or engaging.

[Jayne Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

There were lots of aspects of this book that might have made me dislike it. The dense science sections that punctuated the plot. The discovery that just when you thought you were finished with the backstory, along came a bit more. The nagging sensation that what happened was....well.....a bit unfeasible.

Despite all that, this book gets five stars from me, because it kept me reading long into the night, and very few books have done that. However unfeasible it might have been, the central plot was compelling and leaving this unfinished was never an option. The setting of Cape Cod was great, and really made me want to go there! The author had a real feeling for his characters and his depiction of a family in the wake a of a bereavement was skilful and moving. Okay so it’s only January, but it’s my read of the year so far.

[Robyn]

Just met the author when he came into the store to sign copies of the book. I now have my own signed copy dedicated to me and the author's number to let him know whether I liked it or not!!!

[Tash · Rating 1 out of 5]

bought it for $4 but didn't like it, it was a waste of my time!!!

[Dhanya Chandrasekhar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked it, simple story. Takes you to an imaginary world of seals and sea creatures.