THE CROSSING by Andrew Miller (fiction)

I love Andrew Miller’s writing.  Like Hilary Mantel, he is one of Britain’s most lauded authors. In the past his subjects have been historical.  Considered his best book, “Pure” which takes place on the eve of the French revolution, won a number of literary prizes and was deemed one of the world’s 10 best historical novels by The Guardian.

This book is completely different. It takes place in present day England and opens with a young couple, members of a university sailing club, preparing a dry-docked sailboat for the season, when Maud  Stamp suddenly falls from the boat.  Surprisingly she survives.  The young man working with her, Tim Rathbone, eventually becomes her husband. Tim is from an aristocratic family which has nothing in common with Maud’s middle class parents.  There are some uncomfortable moments for each when the families meet.
 The story then takes a leap forward, and we find they have a daughter.  Maud who was trained as a chemist, is working for a pharmaceutical company while Tim is a stay-at-home Dad.  He spends his time dreamily composing music.  Maud herself has a dreamy quality which is attractive to men. She is something of an enigma.  The reader gets the feeling that these two are not deeply committed to each other, and when an unfortunate accident occurs Maud drifts into her own world.

 In her attempt to heal her deep depression, Maud sets sail on Lodestar, a boat she and Tim had lovingly refurbished.  The main part of the book takes us on this solo thousand mile journey across the Atlantic with Maud. The details of her life aboard with its daily chores and adjusting to the wind and currents is so accurate that the author must have sailing experience.  Every moment and each movement is real.  As someone who had sailed for many years, I appreciate Miller’s attention to life aboard and found it doubly anxiety making when Maud finally runs into a major storm.

As we move into the final third of the novel, the dismasted ship, has drifted off course and Maud is rescued by a young girl who is part of a cult group made up of children and teens left to fend for themselves.  I will give no other detail of what happens next, but the book takes a strange and intriguing twist.

Andrew Miller is a gorgeous writer.  His sentences flow effortlessly and one drifts, buoyed by their beauty.  For example:
“…the boat’s shadow like black silk hauled just beneath the water’s surface.”
or, “..a face that is starting to talk about him….though looked at casually he can still be whoever you want him to be.”
or, “Nights are like the bottom of somewhere, a kind of seabed.  As for the days, they have a cunning of their own.”

I recommend reading any of Miller’s novels for their style and grace.  You don’t have to be a sailor to appreciate this book.  It comes to an odd conclusion, but I loved every minute of the reading.