The Sea House by Elisabeth Gifford

"The Sea House" by Elisabeth Gifford is the dual narrative story of Reverend Alexander Ferguson and Moira Gallies in 1860, and Ruth and her husband Michael in 1992, both of whom live in the Sea House, many years apart.

Alexander is a young Reverend in the Hebrides of Scotland. Despite the fact that Alexander is a supposed Christian, he is an Evolutionary Scientist who is obsessed with tales of "Selkies" (half human, half seal) and Mermaids. He has lived his entire life reading books and researching to prove that they do exist.

Moira is Alexander's maid, a woman who has faced severe hardships in her life because of one prominent man who controls much of their little town. He has taken away everything and everyone that Moira has ever loved, and she is determined to one day pay him back for his evil deeds.

Ruth is a 29 year old woman who recently moved into the Sea House with her husband, Michael. Together, they have plans to turn the old Sea House into a beautiful bed and breakfast, but it is in need of much work. But what Ruth refuses to talk about or even deal with is her past, and it's costing her her future. Ruth has very few memories left of her Mum and she never met her father at all. Her mother died when Ruth was about 10 years old, and she was left to go to a girls' home. Ever since, Ruth has suffered a tormented life. She suffers with depression and feelings of resentment towards her mother for leaving her.

There were parts of this book that I really enjoyed and then there were parts I disliked very much. At times, the book was very dark and dreary due to Ruth's upbringing, and I was not impressed with Alexander's character. I found it hard to fathom that he could be a Christian yet still believe in darwin's teachings. It seemed ridiculous to me.

I think the idea of the book was very nice. The storyline had a good plot, and there was quite a bit of suspense wondering what was going to happen next. Some people might be a little put off by Ruth's condition, but the fact is that people live like that every single day. And though it seems dark and dreary, it gives readers a good perspective on how life might be like for someone who was rejected their whole life.

I rate this book as 4 stars. I received this book for free from Litfuse in exchange for my honest unbiased opinion.