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Book Review: Between the Sound and Sea by Amanda Cox

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Amanda Cox has become a must-read author for me. Her stories reflect the reality of human emotion and the gracious tenderness of God. This is a story of restoration of a physical place, a lighthouse, while we witness the restoration of relationships and characters hearts.

Cox has a beautiful mastery of crafting a story that weaves the wonder of God’s grace in transforming characters. Joey Harris is an event planner living in a small town in Tennessee. Her business is struggling, her family is a little broken and she’s not really sure what the future holds. Her best friend, Sophie, encourages her to apply for an odd position restoring an old de-commissioned lighthouse. BTW, Sophie, in the sparing moments we see her reflects the characteristics of a special best friend.

Surprisingly, Joey gets the gig and relocates to the coast of North Carolina, the lighthouse situated on an island a 30 minute boat ride away. Walt O’Hare is an 81 year old and Joey’s employer. He’s seeking to put right a perceived wrong of his teen years. Finn O’Hare is his grandson. A thirty-something pilot who is grappling with his own brokenness while thinking he needs to take care of his grandpa.

It’s marvellous how Cox weaves the multiple layers of restoration through the story. Meanwhile, the legacy of Cathleen McCorvey or Cay, as Walt knew her, is ever present in our story. Cay was Walt’s best friend and he left her to join the war effort in 1942. Cay apparently died soon after along with her father who had been suffering from what we now know as dementia.

Not a word nor scene is wasted as the story progresses, the physical restoration of the lighthouse soon slipping into the background as we witness the beauty and wonder of broken, estranged and seemingly lost relationships lovingly being restored. It’s beautiful to read.

As I read it, I kept thinking about ‘What the Crawdads Sing’ and think Amanda’s story would make an equally beautiful movie.

Once again, I feel blessed to have had a chance to receive an early ebook copy from Revell via NetGalley and I know will treasure its memory. My review has not been influenced by this blessing and I suspect I’ll buy my own copy so it can sit proudly on my bookshelf.

Book Review: “Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery” by Amanda Cox

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Oh my! What a beautiful story Amanda Cox has written for her sophomore novel. It’s quite remarkable. Set over two different time periods: the present day and the years from 1965 into the 1980s, we meet three generations of Clearwater ladies: Glory Ann (or Nan), her daughter Rosemary and the latter’s daughter, Sarah. Cox weaves a compelling small town story of kept secrets, parental expectations, familial loss and forgiveness through the lives of these strong women. All so alike in many respects but also unique I warmed to each of the three for different reasons.

The three ladies lives pivot around the Old Depot Grocery which Glory Ann ran with her husband and both Rosemary and Sarah grew up working in from an early age. It serves as a physical statement of so much life shared between the three but it also served as a mechanism for the three to ‘hide’ their secrets and ‘hide away’ from the possibilities of doing something different with their lives.

It was powerful reminder of the importance of truth but also unconditional familial love that allows forgiveness and redemption. There’s also a strong side note regarding the difficulty of war vets adjusting back to normal life which I enjoyed reading too.

I appreciated how we saw quiet strength in some of the male characters too. Clarence Clearwater was a superb character demonstrating unconditional love not just to his wife and daughters but the community as well. Clay Ashby also was a beautiful illustration of a man of quiet strength, who didn’t push himself onto Sarah, giving her the time and space she needed to grieve her loss and reconcile her past and future aspirations.

Cox managed the different POVS well and I always felt confident in who’s voice I was reading and the time period each scene/chapter was set.

I’m so looking forward to Cox’s next story. She might have become a ‘must read’ author for me.

I received an early ebook copy as part of Revell Reads blogger program via NetGalley with no expectation of a favourable review.