The Sea House by Esther Freud.
Esther Freud was born in London in 1963, the daughter of the artist Lucian Freud. Her debut novel Hideous Kinky (1992) which describes the childhood of two young children with their mother in 1960’s Morocco was made into a film starring Kate Winslet. Three other novels Peerless Flats (1993), Gaglow (1997) and the Wild (2000) all cover themes of family and childhood.
The Seahouse, published in 2003, is a story set in Steerborough a seaside village in Suffolk. Lily, a young woman arrives to research the life and work of Klaus Lehmann, a German architect almost fifty years after his death in the village. She finds Klaus’s letters to his wife Elsa and pieces together the story of their lives together which included long periods of separation. Lily, like Elsa has a lover who is often absent, and like Elsa she also finds an erotic relationship in the village. It is the interweaving of these two narratives which many readers have found initially difficult but then rewarding. I particularly like the sense of place in The Sea House which uses Walberswick as it’s inspiration and which I think was missing from Julie Myerson’s Something Might Happen, the Book Club choice in April, and which was inspired by Southwold.
I loved this book. I loved the passing backwards and forwards in time and Freud’s assured understanding of recent history. I loved the sense of place and will now see Walberswick in a completely different light. I loved the subtle drawing of all the characters which seemed to blend in perfectly with the description of the landscapes as if they were all one. I think the book is essentially about secrets and the moral boundaries people cross and re-cross without being able to help themselves. I also think it is about being yourself and doing what you are best at whether it’s designing buildings or building designs from odd bits of wood. I’m going to read the book again and look more closely at each character having enjoyed seeing the canvas on which they play out their story. Like Max wanting to draw and paint each individual building and then have it rolled out as one long story. There is much more to this book than first meets the eye.
Liz English
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