Seaside Pleasures by Ann Lingard, Littoralis Press, £8.99, ISBN 095445720X Reviewed by Roy Herbert
THE pleasures of the title are those of finding and studying marine shore life and those to be found in the relationships between human characters who are living near the sea.
This novel is in the form of four narratives in the first person, including one by a young Victorian woman fascinated by the work of the naturalist and inventor of the aquarium, Philip Henry Gosse. Switching from one narrative to another is apt to be confusing, though the male protagonist can usually be identified by his expletives (not deleted).
Advertisement
Plenty of biological science is included and there is even a hint of the gothic – a Dark Secret. It’s rare to find science so prominent in a work of fiction, so that might be an attraction, but somehow I found the fragmented story insubstantial and unengaging.