A review by romanaromana
The Sing of the Shore by Lucy Wood
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
3.5
3.5 stars.
(Here are some trigger warnings. Nothing in this review).
It's difficult to review a short story collection when my opinions varied so much with every story. However, I will say that Lucy Wood's chosen themes and focus on the unseen, off-season version of Cornwall that most are unfamiliar with, remained intriguing throughout The Sing of the Shore. Equally, I was pleased with the amount of diversity in Wood's choice of characters - readers are introduced to a cast who range in age, interests and relationship to the area which was a definite strength of the collection.
Despite this, I was not so enthusiastic about every story in this collection. Wood starts strongly, following young Ivor and his friends as they explore abandoned holiday homes during winter. She also ends strongly with the tale of two siblings reuniting in adulthood at the caravan park where they grew up.
I struggled with a couple of the shortest stories - 'Way the Hell Out' and 'Cables'. Both of these are dominated by dialogue, creating the illusion that the story has two narrators who are sharing the lines of a storybook. Not only did this technique dislocate me from the story, but I also struggled to understand the point of these characters framing what I thought to be the more interesting narrative.
Overall, I was pretty pleased with The Sing of the Shore. It definitely gave me lots to think about, what with its unique perspectives, as well as a particularly strong story - 'Flotsam, Jetsam, Lagan, Derelict' - which highlighted the environmental issue of plastic pollution in the ocean.
(Here are some trigger warnings. Nothing in this review).
It's difficult to review a short story collection when my opinions varied so much with every story. However, I will say that Lucy Wood's chosen themes and focus on the unseen, off-season version of Cornwall that most are unfamiliar with, remained intriguing throughout The Sing of the Shore. Equally, I was pleased with the amount of diversity in Wood's choice of characters - readers are introduced to a cast who range in age, interests and relationship to the area which was a definite strength of the collection.
Despite this, I was not so enthusiastic about every story in this collection. Wood starts strongly, following young Ivor and his friends as they explore abandoned holiday homes during winter. She also ends strongly with the tale of two siblings reuniting in adulthood at the caravan park where they grew up.
I struggled with a couple of the shortest stories - 'Way the Hell Out' and 'Cables'. Both of these are dominated by dialogue, creating the illusion that the story has two narrators who are sharing the lines of a storybook. Not only did this technique dislocate me from the story, but I also struggled to understand the point of these characters framing what I thought to be the more interesting narrative.
Overall, I was pretty pleased with The Sing of the Shore. It definitely gave me lots to think about, what with its unique perspectives, as well as a particularly strong story - 'Flotsam, Jetsam, Lagan, Derelict' - which highlighted the environmental issue of plastic pollution in the ocean.