Minneapolis born Peter Geye paints a clear picture of the Great Lakes shipping industry on the cold Minnesota north shore in his debut novel, Safe from the Sea. You will feel the frigid sea air whip around your ears, taste the smoked salmon, smell the wood smoke as a father and son reunite after thirty-five years of estrangement. Norwegian immigrant, Olaf, doles out his bitterness and guilt about surviving a shipwreck to his son in small doses as they share everyday tasks like splitting wood and fishing.
Mr. Geye writes touching descriptions. Well-drawn scenes are Noahs discomfiture at following the directions to his fathers house, the boyhood memories that flood him as he pokes around his fathers shack and Olaf returning childhood mementos to his children. The lack of cell phone reception at his fathers home mirrors the strained communication between Noah and his wife, Natalie.
More eloquence permeates what is not said than what is. Although the dialogue is somewhat stagnant and slows the plot, certain parts of the narrative are haunting. Noah visits the maritime museum and views the artifacts and photos from the shipwreck around which the secret of the book lies. Particularly unforgettable is the placard beside a photo identifying the thirty shipmates before they sailed. The voices of the twenty-seven men, who lost their lives when the SS Ragmarok foundered in a gale in 1967, echo through the museum. Stormy Lake Superior provides a perfect metaphor for the ravaged lives of the three survivors who vanished when the ship went down.
Safe from the Sea is about reminiscence, broken familial relationships and reconciliation.
Reviewed by Holly Weiss, author of Crestmont
http://www.hollyweiss.com
Mr. Geye writes touching descriptions. Well-drawn scenes are Noahs discomfiture at following the directions to his fathers house, the boyhood memories that flood him as he pokes around his fathers shack and Olaf returning childhood mementos to his children. The lack of cell phone reception at his fathers home mirrors the strained communication between Noah and his wife, Natalie.
More eloquence permeates what is not said than what is. Although the dialogue is somewhat stagnant and slows the plot, certain parts of the narrative are haunting. Noah visits the maritime museum and views the artifacts and photos from the shipwreck around which the secret of the book lies. Particularly unforgettable is the placard beside a photo identifying the thirty shipmates before they sailed. The voices of the twenty-seven men, who lost their lives when the SS Ragmarok foundered in a gale in 1967, echo through the museum. Stormy Lake Superior provides a perfect metaphor for the ravaged lives of the three survivors who vanished when the ship went down.
Safe from the Sea is about reminiscence, broken familial relationships and reconciliation.
Reviewed by Holly Weiss, author of Crestmont
http://www.hollyweiss.com
