Received from Pan MacMillan Publishers, My Side of the Ocean by New York native Ron Irwin is set in beautiful Cape Town. I enjoyed experiencing South Africa’s prize city through the American author’s lens, and with my personal knowledge and experiences of Cape Town, its landscape, beaches and inhabitants, the novel became an intimate, familiar journey for me.
The Mother City is where accomplished American artist and protagonist Stella Wright lives in a Bakoven beachside cottage perched on the edge of the waves. One day, when Stella takes a habitual afternoon swim, she is unprepared for the drama that would unfold. She and a nearby surfer are tracked by a giant great white shark that swims close enough for Stella to get a frighteningly close-up glimpse of its malevolent eye. The near-death experience leaves the pair deeply traumatised and would change the course of Stella’s life.
There is an almost instant attraction between Stella and the surfer, named Ben, who paints trawlers for a living. Together, the two survivors must confront their fear of the sea, something that is especially important to Stella as a painter who uses the ocean as something of a muse; and to Ben, a surfer with a deep love for the sea. Their healing journey would bind them together. However, there’s a not-insignificant complication: Stella is married to a wealthy American financier and the couple is preparing to leave the country.
Irwin paints vivid images of rich texture and authenticity so that it feels like we are travelling with Stella through all the familiar areas of Cape Town, exploring the different peoples that give the city its character, delving into the unconscious connection between people and the environment, and feeling the merciless African sun on our faces and the equally unforgiving storms rattling our window panes.
I was also surprised and delighted by Irwin’s deep and empathetic understanding of the female psyche as he describes how Stella finds herself at a crossroads, forced to explore existential and weighty questions about her life when the foundations of her being are rocked.
Ultimately, My Side of the Ocean is about art, post-traumatic stress, the environment (and sharks in particular), longing, and the agony that accompanies life-altering decisions. A highly enjoyable read, especially for South Africans familiar with Cape Town’s scenery and neighbourhoods.
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