Weeping Sands - Review by Deborah Grace

5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling tale of love and loss, 21 Oct 2011

By 

Deborah Grace - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Weeping Sands (Kindle Edition)

Three narratives of love and loss are skilfully interwoven in John Wheatley's third novel which, like its predecessors, is set on the isle of Anglesey. Spanning 350 years, from Civil War to present day, a ruined mansion provides the link between past and present. Meanwhile, the eponymous sand flats (Lavan Sands or Traeth Lafan) at the eastern edge of the Menai Straits provide a melancholy backdrop to the (often) tragic events of the novel.

Wheatley's fluid writing style and meticulous research are in evidence here, as in his previous novels. He sets out on a daring enterprise to link three apparently disparate narratives, set in different historical and thematic contexts. This he manages with subtlety and admirable consistency, maintaining quite distinct narrative voices throughout and avoiding confusion. What is particularly impressive is that each of the stories is equally compelling. The many time shifts in this sort of novel can sometimes be jarring and the reader, finding him/herself in the novel's prosaic `present', may long to be back in the (more mysterious) past. Here, however, the contemporary story of TV presenter, Jenna, and her search for identity becomes increasingly gripping as the novel progresses.

The characterisation and relationships are convincingly complex and well-drawn. The different historical settings - and, of course, the Anglesey location - are extremely well-realised. The narrative pace is effectively sustained right up to the novel's genuinely shocking ending. The closing image (without giving too much away!) of helpless grief brings an almost fatalistic perspective to bear on a novel in which the individual's desire to control his/her destiny is a major theme. I read this last part several times with a kind of horrible fascination!