Dimensions
127 x 145 x 10mm
2 CDs, Abridged.
Read by Paula Wilcox.
On the tiny Breton island of Le Devin, life has remained almost unchanged for over a hundred years. For generations, two rival communities, the wealthy La Houssiniere and the impoverished village of Les Salants, have fought for control over the island's only beach and the source of its prosperity.
When Mado, a spirited local girl, returns to Les Salants after a ten-year absence, she finds her home threatened, both by the tides and by the machinations of local entrepreneur Claude Brismand, whose ruthless interests imperil the very survival of Les Salants. Worse still, Mado's father, GrosJean, is suffering from the same disease that afflicts the village itself: an apparently incurable loss of hope.
Mado, however, is not so easily discouraged. Dogged by prejudice from the superstitious villagers, she is forced to enlist the help of Flynn, an attractive drifter who shows her the means to redress the balance of power between Les Salants and La Houssiniere.
But Mado's attempts to transform the dying community have unforeseen consequences. As Les Salants returns slowly to life, so do past tragedies, including the terrible secret that still haunts Mado's father. And Flynn, who seemed so squarely on her side, has other hidden loyalties. Is he really who he says he is? Or is he leading them all into a trap?
In a setting inspired by the island Joanne Harris used to visit as a child, good battles against evil in this tale of bitter poetry that proves no man is ever an island. Rich with coastal imagery and smells, its twists and turns are salty and powerful, and utterly compelling.
