Book info

• Title Summerwater
• Author Sarah Moss
• Year 2020
• Genre Contemporary

It is the summer solstice, but in a faded Scottish cabin park the rain is unrelenting. Twelve people on holiday with their families look on as the skies remain resolutely grey. A woman goes running up the Ben as if fleeing; a teenage boy chances the dark waters of the loch in his kayak; a retired couple head out despite the downpour, driving too fast on the familiar bends. But there are newcomers too, and one particular family, a mother and daughter with the wrong clothes and the wrong manners, start to draw the attention of the others. Who are they? Where are they from? Should they be here at all? As darkness finally falls, something is unravelling...

Thoughts

This is a relatively short novel that dips into the lives of several characters in a rainy Scottish holiday park, highlighting the boredom and thought processes of everyone from a young engaged couple, several kids tormenting each other, angst-ridden teenagers, bored housewives, and older couples just getting by. It is so well-written and completely engrossing, but I have to admit to being a bit disappointed by the narrative, and the ending. I thought there would have been more of a connection between the disparate stories, something to weave them all together. But I enjoyed the process of reading and will look for more from this author.

Rating: 3 / 5