SILVER BAY by Jojo Moyes

Silver Bay is a small bay in New South Wales; where once it made its living from game fishing, now it relies on the tourists taking trips to see the dolphins and whales. It is where Kathleen still lives and runs the Bay Hotel with her niece Liza and Liza’s daughter Hannah and it is to here that Mike, a property developer makes his way on business to research a scheme for developing Silver Bay into a commercial tourist resort; a scheme which once it becomes known to the residents of Silver Bay as them fired up to do everything they can to fight it.
Narrated in turn by several characters this is quite an involved story but one which takes the reader into the very heart of Silver Bay; a tranquil place, unspoiled by progression and where the extended family of the Bay Hotel have their roots and hearts embedded in the waters and the life of those waters. As Mike becomes better acquainted with the residents he finds himself becoming caught up in their lives and their stories, not least the evasive Liza who seems to have some mystery or fear that rules her life and if Silver Bay is developed it could mean trouble for Liza and her daughter.
The story is initially told at a slow pace which is in keeping with the Silver Bay way of life, I got the feeling that the gentleness of the pace reflected well with the quiet and relaxed atmosphere that is Silver Bay. The contributions from each narrator build up into the big picture, adding different elements from each individual character so the reader is almost drip fed hints and clues about past events. There are also beautifully described pieces about the whales and the horror of them being caught up and traumatized which portrayed just how the bay and its sea life is valued and loved by the residents.
I could really get into the heads of the characters because each narration seemed crafted to that person, their individual characteristics, whether anger, fear or joy leapt out; all were unique and interesting with faults and sadness but as the story builds it is Liza and Hannah’s story that really comes to the fore and makes this novel the poignant and memorable one that it is. I enjoyed learning about whales and believe that Jojo Moyes has given them all the credit they could possible deserve. This is a book that really makes you feel, it gets to the very heart of issues such as love, fear and self hate, so don’t be surprised if you find yourself angering as the locals do or feeling the depressive moods that Liza does, so well are emotions addressed and described that you cannot help but become one with them.
Overall, this is a beautiful and emotive novel that I would recommend highly.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin for the ARC of this book.