Ocean - by Polly Clark (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

'Strange, wonderful and compelling' - Louis de Bernières A powerful yacht, a warring family, the unforgiving deep... Caught in a terrorist explosion on the London Underground, inner-city schoolteacher Helen is pregnant and lost until a stranger leads her to safety then vanishes. Obsessed with finding him, she begins to lose her grip on reality - and her family. As their marriage fractures, her husband Frank proposes a daring plan: sell up and sail the Atlantic with their son Nicholas and troubled foster daughter Sindi on the Innisfree, the very boat where the couple first fell in love. What begins as a daring bid for salvation turns into an epic journey. The ocean proves as wild and unpredictable as the heartbreak Helen is trying to outrun. Will the voyage meant to save them destroy them instead? With a fiercely funny and maverick heroine at its helm, Ocean is a powerful exploration of the uncharted waters of the human heart. The award-winning author of Larchfield takes us on a gripping, beautifully written voyage into the depths of what it means to heal - and to live.

Review Quotes

'A compelling journey of a book'

--Lucy Hunter Blackburn, co-editor of The Women Who Wouldn't Wheesht

'A ferociously intense portrait of a mind, marriage and family in extreme turbulence. Startling and dramatic, it made me very glad to be on terra firma'

--Amanda Craig

'A rollercoaster of a read, Ocean is a powerful page-turner with a series of sensational twists'

-- "W.I. Life"

'A wild ride from start to finish. I thoroughly enjoyed it'

--Len Pennie "BBC Radio Scotland"

'Clark, who is a poet, writes in a refined way, in a rare balance between lyricism and suspense... Her protagonist Helen, portrayed convincingly with her gaze oscillating between threatening irony and dull pain, guides the narrative like the compass of a boat gone mad'

-- "Il Manifesto"

'Gripping, heart-wrenching and beautifully written'

--Tom Parker Bowles

'I've not reacted to a novel like this in years. An absolute blinder'

--Jenny Lindsay

'Ocean - the novel - is a propulsive, visceral, gasp-inducing page-turner, as wild and unpredictable as the real thing. It's also an insightful exploration of the human heart and psyche'

-- "Sunday Post"

'Ocean brings a unique lens to the sea. My own experience differs greatly, but I appreciate any work that invites reflection on its vastness'

--Tracy Edwards MBE

'Ocean is both funny and moving, authentic and far-fetched, real and symbolic. You find yourself rooting for the characters, then being frustrated and troubled by them, disliking them then acknowledging their redeeming features. And throughout it all, the writing is beautiful and compelling. I loved it. I want to read it again'

-- "More About Books"

'Ocean is such a thriller - I was gasping at the end of each chapter'

--Clare Pollard

'Polly Clark describes the psychological ups and downs of her protagonists with dense and passionate writing. As the line between disaster and salvation becomes increasingly complex and blurred, the pages of the novel turn into an adventurous, adrenaline-filled diary. Original and overwhelming'

-- "Corriere della Sera"

'Polly Clark is one of the most gifted writers working in Britain today. Ocean is both lyrical and page-turning, a thrilling novel that takes the reader on an epic journey, not only on the high seas but also in a marriage and within the mind of its fiercely intelligent and witty heroine'

--Jane Harris

'Polly Clark writes shocking twists and keeps readers captivated until the last page - drama, drama, drama!'

-- "Buchkultur"

'Strange, wonderful and compelling. It shows what a good storyteller can do when she really lets rip'

--Louis de Bernières

'Such a powerful novel, with moments of real tenderness and outright terror, but all firmly in the realm of real feelings and emotions. Assured, human and compelling'

--Gerard Woodward

'This an extraordinary book - a truly brilliant and exceptional novel - about the folly of seeking stability amidst life's randomness and the ungraspability of relationships. If that sounds a little solemn, don't despair, it's also an absolutely riveting adventure'

-- "Strong Words"

'This novel shines in its exploration of the deep weirdness of grief and trauma, [and] the cruelty of love gone sour is skilfully captured... But there's undoubtedly an entertainment factor here - the plot feels akin at times to that of a thriller - which many readers will surely find compelling'

-- "Irish Times"

'Utterly gripping. It works both as a thriller and as a psychological exploration of what happens to a person and her family when the person she was is suddenly wiped away. A very strong recommend'

--Gareth Roberts

'Visceral, lyrical...speaks to any woman who has ever loved and feared to lose'

--Jane Campbell

'With a nonconformist heroine at the helm, Ocean [is] a gripping, epic and tragic journey, a wild and incredible adventure in the solitude of the sea, in search of what it means to heal'

-- "La Repubblica"

About the Author

Polly Clark was born in Canada and brought up in Scotland. Her debut novel, Larchfield (2017), fictionalised a little-known period in the life of the poet W.H. Auden. It won the Mslexia Prize, as well as critical plaudits from Margaret Atwood, Louis de Bernières and Richard Ford. Her follow-up, Tiger (2019), was shortlisted for the Saltire Scottish Book of the Year. She is also the author of four collections of poetry. Her first, Kiss (2000), won an Eric Gregory Award and her second, Take Me With You (2005), was shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot Prize. She divides her time between the west of Scotland and a houseboat in London.