Anne Marie Bennett’s SEA GLASS MEMORIES is a book about healing from loss. True to that theme, it is a generous, tender, soothing sort of novel full of good friends, wholesome activities, and the hope of new love. The title’s meaning becomes apparent during Elena’s first grief-support group meeting, where the leader explains that the experience of loss is like sea glass: initially something sharp, cutting, and painful, whose edges are softened and rounded by time and experience until the memory of the lost person becomes something beautiful and worthy of treasuring. It’s a lovely metaphor, and the emotional tone of the book might well be summed up by a vision of gentle, colorful light shining through a piece of sea-smoothed glass.
Elena tells most of the story in the first person, bringing the reader intimately into her emotions, from the heartbroken depression at the beginning of the novel to the hopeful, sunny personality she’s grown back into by the end. The other part of the story is narrated by Kit Gilmore, Elena’s friend and mentor, an older woman who also lost the man she loved in young adulthood. The memories of her loss and healing are intertwined with Elena’s present experience, providing the reader with another person’s perspective—and the assurance that as Kit has healed over time, so will Elena.
There’s not very much conflict in this book, the major loss and pain having already happened when the book begins, as well as the first flush of grief. This novel is primarily a smooth account of Elena’s final progress towards healing. Her romantic relationships, like her friendships, are generally positive, drama-free, and rather predictable—the end of one and beginning of the other are heavily telegraphed throughout, and handled in a mature, adult fashion without histrionics or further heartbreak. The characters are all pleasant, companionable, likeable people, and the town seems like a truly delightful place to live in. This is not a novel for readers looking for an exciting plot or dramatic turns of events. It’s a comfort-food book, full of warmth, new life, and healing. However, it might be absolutely ideal for those in need of a bit of hope and sea glass-colored sunshine in the midst of grief.
The literary equivalent of a hot cinnamon roll and a cup of cocoa, Anne Marie Bennett’s SEA GLASS MEMORIES is a sweet, heartwarming novel about coming to terms with loss and finding a reason to go on—with a generous helping of loving-kindness and a shortage of conflict.
~Catherine Langrehr for IndieReader