About this item
Highlights
- "This book brought me to tears and a greater understanding of my own possibilities.
- Author(s): Heather G Marshall
- 330 Pages
- Fiction + Literature Genres, Family Life
Description
About the Book
When the Ocean Flies explores the pain of separation and abuse, and the power of love to heal even over huge gaps in time and geographical distance.
Book Synopsis
"This book brought me to tears and a greater understanding of my own possibilities." Terresa Cooper Haskew, author of Winston's Book of Souls
An email from a stranger tells Alison Earley that her natural father, whom she has known for only six years, has died suddenly. What begins as a short trip back to Scotland for a funeral soon becomes a journey that puts adoption, sexuality, and identity on a collision course as Alison finds herself caught between the life and family she has so carefully constructed on one continent and the family from which she was taken on another.
Shunned by her father's family, reunited with her natural mother, and reconnected with a long-lost love, Alison finds herself trying to shepherd her youngest child towards college while questioning everything she thought she knew about herself.
When her natural mother uncovers a series of letters written to Alison from the grandmother she never knew, resurrecting the stories of generations of women-stories long buried by patriarchal rule-Alison realizes that she must find the courage to face and reveal the secrets of her own past. At what cost, though? And who and what will be left in the aftermath?
When the Ocean Flies explores the pain of separation and abuse, and the power of love to heal even over huge gaps in time and geographical distance.
Review Quotes
"In When the Ocean Flies, Heather Marshall uses braided narratives to reveal the many layers of Alison, a woman searching for identity, belonging, and a real sense of family. From infancy, Alison has struggled to be who others need her to be. Raised by a cold adoptive mother, and distant adoptive father, Alison finally finds sanctuary in her friendship with Vic, a spirited, authentic girl with whom Alison can at last be herself. Their relationship is derailed when Alison's family moves to the US-and again, Alison feels adrift. She settles into marriage and family, molding herself to the expectation of others (particularly her abusive husband, Wade). But a part of her feels incomplete, and she undertakes a journey to find her birth parents back in Scotland. It is in this bold quest that Alison learns the truth-not just about her birth family, but about who she is at her core. When the Ocean Flies is a complex, sometimes difficult, emotional journey. You will feel profound empathy for Alison, and you'll relish Marshall's lush narrative in this beautifully told story." Carla Damron, author of The Orchid Tattoo
"A layered narrative of a woman discovering herself, When the Ocean Flies explores the profound questions of belonging and familial attachments. Written with such clarity and powerful imagery that even in its most heartbreaking moments, we are held in its grace. A tale eloquently told." Shelly Milliron Drancik, author of The Distance of Mercy
"A gorgeous story transporting us over the ocean, continent to continent, during one woman's lifelong search for true self and the warmth of her birth mother's love. Like messages found in wave-washed bottles, ancestral letters surface, filled with the pain and power of being female. This book brought me to tears and a greater understanding of my own possibilities." Terresa Cooper Haskew, author of Winston's Book of Souls
"A highly emotive tale with strong characterization. Highly recommended!" The Wishing Shelf