Review of 'The Woman in the Waves' by Camille Booker
Release date: March 11th, 2025
Publisher: Hawkeye Publishing
🧜🏻♀️
REVIEW
“Fishermen are superstitious folk. No group of people harbour as many cautionary tales as those who live by the sea.”
The Woman in the Waves by Camille Booker is an incredibly atmospheric, imaginative take on mermaids, folklore and certain health issues. The plot is centred around one of my beloved iconic landmarks—a lighthouse and in one of my favourite Australian coastal areas: Wollongong/Illawarra where I lived for a number of years after coming to Australia from the east coast of Canada (where I was a fisherman’s daughter, too). A place I would say that not only energised me but at that time literally saved my life (I suffered severe allergies). Without doubt, it’s an enchanting story setting (even in 1921!) that inspired Camille Booker for her fictional town of Widow’s Peak.
It is obvious from the start, that this novel is going to be extra special. Literary lyrical beauty pours from these pages. Camille’s writing style is that of a poet. Images are compact yet fluid and jump out at you in such a fresh original way. They sneak into your psyche as you are immersed into that world of truth and lies, smoke and mirrors, appearances and reality, mystery and magic. This stunning delivery allows you to step off the cliff of the mundane and plunge into the waves of the imagination where you can not only envision the characters, locations and events in living colour but also become part of them as if you are there, not only as a spectator but as a participant.
Missy/Marissa which means ‘of the sea’ is an intriguing lead character. She tells her side of the story and clearly offers a vivid account of all that happens to her. We are left to wonder at times if she really has seen her mother (who is said to have passed) in the form of a mermaid. The world her mind constructs is powerfully suggestive and we easily fall into her beliefs and confusion that arise at times. Crimes are committed and she is first on the scene of each. Is it chance or is there more happening than meets the eye? What mysteries are unfolding, what lore is breaking on the shore of our minds and hers?
Irish born Detective Shaw is another mesmerising lead character. His involvement with Missy is intricate and intriguing as he tries to crack the cases that come his way with her help. We get his perspective which makes him more personal to us. We observe carefully his actions and reactions. He is kind, understanding and caring. Through his questioning, we learn a lot about the other characters Flea, Gust, Missy’s Grandfather Avo—the lighthouse keeper, her mother and Lara—to name a few.
This novel addresses some difficult topics such as postnatal depression—an issue that is very real with many women after giving birth when hormone levels suddenly drop causing a wide variety of symptoms including low spirits, lack of energy, lack of interest in activities, agitation, sleep problems, negative thoughts, etc. Then there is mercury poisoning that I was not aware of in early lighthouse keepers caused by the regular exposure to this deadly substance during the cleaning of lighthouse lenses. It could lead to neurological damage resulting in memory loss, confusion, weakness, hallucinations, mental breakdown—just to name a few side effects. The author handles these issues creatively and respectfully, weaving very real facts into her strong fictional core. The messages come across in a dreamlike way and like the siren’s call, the writing seduces you to take a trip to the mirky depths of these matters. The currents sometimes are strong, the weather moody and menacing, and the journey is filled with bumps, setbacks and startling surprises. And when you have come to the end of the storm and story, the resolutions will forever haunt you. For the memories you have amassed will sting like salt in a wound at the realisations of these characters and what they have gone through and why.
Yes, it is an enlightening, inspiring and mesmerising story that sings like a siren and delivers dangers and delights in many areas. I definitely recommend The Woman in the Waves for it will take you to some areas you may have not been before and lead you to a seabed of adventure, wildness and lore. Hats off to Ms Booker for an amazing, exceptional, unforgettable sea-drenched tale. 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thanks to Hawkeye Publishing and Camille Booker for a review copy.
