The Secrets at Ocean’s Edge by Kali Napier *Debut novel*

Title: The Secrets at Ocean’s Edge

Author: Kali Napier

Genre: Historical Fiction/Literary Fiction

Publisher: Hachette Australia

Published: 30^th January 2018

Format: Paperback

Pages: 410

Price: $29.99

Synopsis: Every family has secrets that bind them together. A heart-rending story of a guesthouse keeper and his wife who attempt to start over, from devastatingly talented debut author Kali Napier.

1932. Ernie and Lily Hass, and their daughter, Girlie, have lost almost everything in the Depression; all they have keeping their small family together are their secrets. Abandoning their failing wheat farm and small-town gossip, they make a new start on the west coast of Australia where they begin to build a summer guesthouse. But forming new alliances with the locals isn’t easy.

Into the Hasses’ new life wanders Lily’s shell-shocked brother, Tommy, after three harrowing years on the road following his incarceration. Tommy is seeking answers that will cut to the heart of who Ernie, Lily and Girlie really are.

Inspired by the author’s own family history, The Secrets at Ocean’s Edge is a haunting, memorable and moving tale of one family’s search for belonging. Kali Napier breathes a fever-pitch intensity into the story of these emotionally fragile characters as their secrets are revealed with tragic consequences. If you loved The Light Between Oceans and The Woolgrower’s Companion you will love this story.

‘Kali Napier may be a debut author but she is certainly no novice. The Secrets at Ocean’s Edge is an incredible novel, a story layered with all of the hallmarks that make for an Australian classic.’ – Theresa Smith

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The Secrets at Ocean’s Edge is a story about a family and the secrets they are hiding from each other, and the small towns they live in – Perenjori, on the wheat farm – Cowanup Downs, and the town they move to at the height of the Great Depression in 1932 – Dongarra (spelt with two r’s at the time) in Western Australia. Ernie, his wife Lily, and their daughter, Girlie have left a failing wheat farm for a new life and new guest-house venture in Dongarra by the ocean. Here, they are determined to hide their secrets – from each other and from the close-knit town – unsure of who they can trust. As hints drop at their secrets – Lily’s Arnott’s tin, Ernie’s frequent absences, and Girlie’s questions about the Feheely family and why Ruby Feheely can’t go to school with her – more secrets are destined to come out, especially when Lily’s brother, Tommy arrives – still scarred from The Great War, after six years apart, and Tommy’s search for his family. The secrets Lily has kept from him will set off a chain reaction of events, where even the most innocent of secrets can harm, and where the Hasses secrets are unlikely to stay secret forever.

Kali has used her own family history as inspiration for this story, and woven these family stories and history together with research and fictional characters to create an engaging story. It is a story about what the love for family does, and what people will do for family and to protect themselves and those they love. Likened to The Light Between Oceans, The Secrets at Ocean’s Edge reveal the flaws of humanity and the attitudes of small towns to something a little bit different, and how the people involved cope with this. I’m finding that Australian Women Writers have a wonderful way or using more than just romantic love to tell a story, and when it is used, it fits in with the rest of the story and doesn’t overpower the driving force of the plot. In The Secrets at Ocean’s Edge, Kali Napier has achieved all of this, and diversity within her novel where the characters and plot drive the novel in equal amounts, ensuring that the history is presented realistically and the characters are true to themselves. A wonderful debut that I recommend to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, and stories about family love with a depth that allows the flaws as well as the good characteristics of Lily, Girlie, Ernie and the other characters to shine through.

This marks off square two in row two of my Book Bingo and will be linked back to in one of the write ups to come in the next few weeks.

Kali Napier’s debut novel, The Secrets at Ocean’s Edge was longlisted for the Bath Novel Award as her first manuscript. It was also a finalist in the Hachette Australia Manuscript Development Program.