Not having read the blurb for In The Sweep of the Bay, I hadn’t realised it is a novella, but I think the length and structure of the book is perfect for its content. I found it a moving and engaging read that drew me in and brought alive the characters between its pages.

Cath Barton has a deft touch in conveying setting. Her descriptions are frequently quite poetic so that the reader can visualise clearly place and detail, and I found the hook of Morecambe and its statue of Eric Morecambe a really clever and effective device, partly because of the underpinning theme that we can indeed choose to bring sunshine into our lives and those of other people – or we can stubbornly refuse to do so. Ted and Rene’s marriage is a bitter-sweet relationship and reading about them had the impact of making me tell my own husband how much I love and appreciate him, because Cath Barton made me question whether I had done so, or had just assumed he knows, in recent times. I think books like In The Sweep of the Bay that affect me personally are some of the most rewarding to read.

In fact, what I enjoyed most about In The Sweep of the Bay was Cath Barton’s wonderful understanding of human lives and relationships. Set against authentic historical eras, she presents the daily lives of Ted and Rene with such compassion that my heart went out to them both as if they were real people. The way their marriage is stretched yet endures is, I feel, reflective if do many post war marriages and I believed every word about their love, their disappointments and their loss of intimacy. I thought this was hugely poignant.

In the Sweep of the Bay is an intimate portrait of a marriage that is incredibly touching, but also an authentic socio-economic history that I found fascinating. So much is packed into this novella that I recommend it most highly. It’s a super read.