Short description
A powerful and emotionally charged story about a woman's struggle to reconcile different loves and different parts of her spirit
Long description
Jessie Sullivan has been married half her life, and has become accustomed to her role. But when she returns to the isolated island she grew up on to establish why her mother has been behaving oddly, she is to find a lot more than she came looking for. A loving, exuberant character, who believes herself to be happy, she has forgotten a hidden part of her spirit - the part represented by the beautiful, vibrant and legendary mermaid carved on a chair in the island's monastery. When Jessie falls passionately in love with a monk who is close to taking his final vows, she discovers a place in herself that she had never previously imagined could exist. The Mermaid Chair is the story of a woman trying to save her outgrown life - the roles, identities, securities and illusions she had created for herself - before finally emerging as something far more alive and powerful.
Review
'Monk Kidd spins a highly charged tale full of sexual and spiritual desire. Every bit as convincing and moving as her previous, bestselling novel, THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES' Mirror; 'The powerful follow-up to the international bestseller, THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES' Grazia; 'Impulse, excitement and the anticipation swell within Kidd's prose which is magical, imaginative and effortless' The Big Issue (North); 'A fascinating look at how the deepest ties can be tested when you meet the right person at the wrong time' Glamour