Seeing the two women mirror each other was a clever choice and emotion-evoking ... George does an excellent job with the setting of this story to amplify the feeling of longing between the women ... While this book juggles themes that are themselves profound, I had a hard time reading it due to its inability to allow the reader to come to these profound conclusions themselves. ... I found that often George was trying so hard to be profound that I found myself annoyed that I wasn’t trusted to see what she was saying through simply the story of Claire and Julie—I wasn’t allowed to interpret anything for myself, and it ultimately came across as somewhat pretentious and difficult to enjoy ... There is a lot of good in this novel; the story of Claire and Julie is a moving one.
George crafts lushly drawn settings that act as supporting characters, a talent on full display here as Brittany’s rugged coastline and powerful tides mirror the emotional turbulence of the novel’s protagonists.
Immersive ... George’s fluid and lyrical prose carries the reader along as the story alternates from languid scenes to heavy emotions. It’s a worthy choice for the beach bag.
