Only the Ocean

Kel Crow is a swamp girl, raised in deprivation on the wrong side of the tracks by a family renowned for their lawless and bleak existence. Her tough exterior means she keeps a distance from the baby she is raising and hides a fear of the heart condition that shadows her every move. In a post-apocalyptic, flooded land, Kel feels trapped and is determined to escape to America and the medical help that might save her. Desperate, she accepts a dangerous deal to stowaway and kidnap a girl. The plan is simple; get the girl, get paid and leave. But fate intervenes and Kel and the girl, Rose, end up lost at sea and surrounded by the dangers of the ocean and the pirates that patrol it. This is an unusual story that feels raw, edgy and dangerous from the start. Kel and Rose are both hard to like, Rose is spoilt and Kel bitter and brittle, but slowly the girls start to form an unlikely bond. As with a lot of books now there is a cautionary environmental note, but it feels completely right here as Kel and Rose drift the ocean surrounded by discarded junk, and unable to help themselves. The last third of the book feels more urgent as Rose hovers near death and the girls begin to acknowledge the depth of their feeling for each other. The pace of the book may be a little slow for some but Carthew's lyrical writing and uncompromising style make this feel vivid and utterly original. Part epic sea journey this is also a story about love and hope that would be ideal for more mature readers. 258 pages / Ages 12+ / Reviewed by Clare Wilkins, school librarian.

Suggested Reading Age 11+

Cornish born author and poet Carthew is a passionate eco-writer. She believes tha 'There&'s nowhere quite like the great outdoors for inspiration and the freedom it affords' (Interview with Eco Fiction, 2018) and runs Wild Writing workshops to motivate others. Her previous YA novels, Winter Damage and The Light that Gets Lost, have featured teens dealing with trauma and struggling to survive in harsh circumstances. Carthew's adult novel All Rivers Run Free focuses on the isolation of nature juxtaposed with inner psychological turmoil. In Only the Ocean she realises this vision once again, re-imagining her beloved Cornish landscape as a drowned swampland devastated by climate change, a 'Justopia'. Carthew describes this dystopian concept as 'whether it's just about to happen or has just happened, the slip into total chaos isn't too far in the future.' (Reading Zone, 2018) Only the Ocean opens with the desperate and stoic Kel stealing away softly with a baby to seek a better life adrift from 'the sucking circle of landslides and rising tides and forever floods' where the destitute 'Have Nots' scheme against the privileged 'Haves'. She has a dangerous mission but plans adapt to circumstances and her conscience grows as she struggles to carry out an assignment which she thinks will be the answer to her prayers. Carthew builds atmospheric tension, using evocative imagery throughout as Kel's destiny collides with her intended victim Rose and they are caught up in a flood of consequences. All the while Kel's dark secret threatens to eat away her very soul as her life hangs in the balance. At the mercy of the ocean, sea pirates and treacherous shores, the girls struggle to endure amidst an ever changing relationship and perilous surroundings. The force of Carthew's words sweeps over the reader like a raging torrent, one moment whipping and howling like tempestuous waves, the next softly lyrical. Her narrative plays with alliteration, personification, onomatopoeia, similes and metaphors to create emotional and poetic resonance. She captures both the savagery and beauty of nature but her insistence on using 'the girl' as a disconnect/ outsider view does distance and lose the sympathy of the reader in some places. At times she is visceral,'The anger that burnt hot like flame gas lifted in her and she squeezed her head to popping to stop the expanding bloat, but there was only one way to stop the explosion and that was to leach the steam from her flesh', addressing serious issues, while at others she is contemplative and dreamlike. Carthew's novel highlights social and environmental issues while exploring a burgeoning same sex relationship. It will appeal to fans of dystopia, relationship dramas, adventure and characters who battle against the odds. Only the Ocean is also a treasure trove of expressive language, perfect for encouraging budding creative writers.

Suggested Reading Age 5+