Sea Change by Karen White

Karen White's Sea Change is a welcome and pleasant departure from the books that I have read in the past few months.  I equate it to eating fast food for a week and then getting a home-cooked meal.  The fast food is sustaining and tastes good at the time, but it doesn't compare to your grandmother's Sunday dinner.  The same can go for books (OK, maybe I'm stretching it a bit with my analogy here but I think you get my point.)  I have enjoyed the recent books that I have read (I am not referring to any of the books I have reviewed) but by reading Sea Change it made me realize what I have been missing out on.  I discovered a terrific plot, believably flawed characters, conflict, suspense, emotional stirrings, and settings that could be vividly seen in my mind.  And let us not forget the all important quality of great writing.  Karen White's Sea Change has all of the above and more.

White's Sea Change is set on St. Simons Island off of the coast of Georgia.  She describes it as a lovely Southern island that is immersed in history.  Ava, a thirty-something year old Midwife, moves from Antioch, Georgia to St. Simons after a whirlwind romance to live in her new husband's ancestral home.  Ava met, fell in love with, and married the charming Matthew after an extremely short courtship.  She thought that by moving into his home she would just be dealing with the intricacies of a new relationship and living in a new town.  However, she found that she would also be coping with ghosts of the past.  

Sea Change is written from two different perspectives.  The first is present day Ava who is trying to adjust to her new life and is also working to uncover the mystery of Matthew's family history.  The second point of view is that of Pamela, an ancestor of Matthew's who lived in Ava's house from 1804-1815 before life took an unexpected and unfair turn.  A theme that is discussed frequently in White's novel is that some endings are really beginnings.  This holds true for Ava and Pamela.  While Ava and Pamela seemingly have nothing in common, the lives of the two women suddenly come together when Ava goes under hypnosis to uncover a childhood secret.  Ava then makes it her priority to right a wrong that was done long ago.

I felt that Karen White did a terrific job in transporting her readers back into the early 1800's.  From the vocabulary that White used to the clothes that were described, she had the period down perfectly.  It also seems that White put a lot of time into researching what was happening in St. Simons during this time period.  Being a history buff myself, I enjoyed where White led her readers.  Furthermore, with Southern charm White described the landmarks on the island that are there today such as the lighthouse and cemetery. 

Sea Change is one of the most well written novels that I have read in recent memory.  White was able to keep me on my toes as the suspense grew.  She also did a terrific job of entertaining me.  I definitely recommend Karen White's novel, Sea Change.  Reading it will take you on a mysterious adventure that will leave you wanting more.

NAL Books and BookPleasures.com has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book, Sea Change, for the purpose of review.