When I read this book a year ago, I remember where I was during a pivotal scene. I remember sobbing uncontrollably and being glad the bus was empty. I remember being emotionally drained. And maybe because I was prepared this time I wasn’t sobbing, but I was moved. I often recommend this book because it’s so powerful. I talk about how much the book affected me. I tell people it’s one of Ms. Walker’s best works. Now I can insist people listen to the audio and, I hope, be as moved as I was.
Patrick Carney is a man who lives with a ghost. Four years ago, he lost the love of his life and he’s existed in a vacuum ever since. He’s got his lighthouse, his tabby cat, and the sixty-three inhabitants of Hadley’s Cove to keep him company. He keeps to himself for the most part, although he ventures out for a paper and coffee every day. He’s got a great government job and takes satisfaction from being part of the lighthouse system in southern Australia. His corner of Kangaroo Island is often subject to the whims of the weather, being at the Indian and Southern Oceans. He endures the storms and stays with photos of his dead lover, unable to truly move on and not really wanting to.
Until he meets the newest inhabitant.
Stranger to Hadley’s Cove, Aubrey Hobs is a man without a past. No one can know he used to be someone well-known. He used to be in the papers. He used to be the boyfriend of someone famous. Walking away from the privileged lifestyle cost him everything. With a wildfire moving in, he took a few belongings and made it look like he perished in the fire. He walked away from his life as Ethan Hosking, and took a new name, a new identity. He’s finally away from his violent ex-boyfriend, but he’s not really free. He’s always looking over his shoulder, expecting the abusive SOB to turn up. He’s paranoid about staying under the radar, all the while knowing it will take very little for him to be exposed.
Aubrey’s plan to stay under the radar lasts right up until he meets Patrick. Oh, he tries to hold himself apart. Tries to stay away from the man with stormy eyes. Tries to resist the gentle and kind man. But like the pull of gravity, the two men come together. Patrick is obsessed with the ocean while Aubrey is drawn to the stars. There is a lot about nature in this book, both terrestrial and stellar. I loved the allusions, comparisons, and simple narratives. Nature is woven into the story. I felt like I was right there. I’ve been to the ocean, so I have an idea of the vastness. I’ve lived in the country and looked up at the stars at night and felt my insignificance.
The two men are drawn to each other and it’s far more than physical attraction. As Aubrey says: I wanted to know more but was terrified of finding out. Terrified of getting close to him. To anyone. It wasn’t fair that I wanted to know about him when I couldn’t tell him the truth about me. I dreaded him asking me questions I couldn’t answer. And maybe he somehow knew because he didn’t ask. We just sat there, holding hands, watching the seals until the sun began to set. And the temperature plummeted and the wind soared.
I was there, on the rocky shore with them. Whether they were watching the penguins, the seals, or the Aurora Australis, I was right there, in the moment. There was an immediacy to this book that I loved. This is a book that focuses entirely on the men and their love story. How it is possible to move on, given the right circumstances. For Patrick, it means – to him – letting go of his dead lover. Aubrey sees this dilemma and assures Patrick he doesn’t have to forget. Aubrey is confident enough in their love that he’s not threatened by a dead lover. After all, he has his own problems. And, just as the men are settling in, his past does come calling. A reckoning, so to speak.
I think I love this book even more than before. Joel Leslie narrates this story and his performance is among his best. This is a book of great emotions and he hits every note perfectly. I felt every emotion, every nuance. He took Ms. Walker’s beautiful story and turned it into something magnificent. I will continue to put this book, and now this audio, at the top of my favorites list.