The House Between Tides - Sarah Maine
After the death of her last living relative, Hetty Deveraux leaves her life in London behind for Muirland, her ancestral home in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides. She plans to turn the ruinous house into a vacation spot, much to the dismay of the locals, but her plans come to a halt after the discovery of human remains is found on the property. Not much is left but one thing is certain: this person did not die of natural causes.
Hetty discovers Muirlan was once the refuge of her ancestor Theo Blake, the famous painter who lived there with his young bride, Beatrice, in 1910. Secrets and gossip shroud the house in mystery and suggests their marriage was far from perfect. Beatrice eventually vanished from the island and Theo withdrew from society, his paintings becoming darker and more disturbing later in life. Hetty uncovers secrets that still reverberate through the small island and will lead her to the identity of the long-hidden body.
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This story starts in the past. A memory of grieving sister, cleaning up the remaining pieces of her brothers tormented life on a small island in the Outer Hebrides. Then we jump to the viewpoint of James, finding human bones in the ruins of an old house on that same island. The mystery is set before we even meet the main character of Hetty Deveraux and, eventually, Beatrice Blake. The secrets at the beginning of this book are what drew me in but it was the story and the contrast between these two women that kept me hooked. Switching from Hetty’s grim present to Beatrice’s mysterious past was a bit frustrating at times as it left you with cliff-hangers at the end of every chapter but that just made it all the more harder to put this book down.
Hetty Deveraux is the last of her family, alone in the world. She has relationships, sure, but none that give her a sense of identity or roots. She finds her heritage in the famous painter Theo Blake and seeks out her history in the Outer Hebrides at Muirlan House, the former residence of Theo and his young wife Beatrice back in 1910. Although most of Hetty’s story is centred on her finding the truth of what happened in that house so long ago, I couldn’t help but focus on the emptiness in her story. Sometimes Hetty’s chapters were slow and unexciting, but to me, that just further emphasized how lonely and empty her life was. The only excitement and solace in Hetty’s story was when she was away from her vapid friends, her overbearing partner, her high society life, and was instead trekking around Muirlan strand on the edge of civilization with the humble people of the island community.
This sense of emptiness in Hetty’s story carries on into Beatrice’s. After first arriving to the island, Beatrice was lonely. Her husband was more absorbed by his art and his birds than by her. But she eventually finds solace there, away from the world with the kind people who reside on Muirlan strand. When returning to high society, she misses the place that she has begun to call home, and the people she has left behind. Beatrice and Hetty both just want to belong, to be happy, and to have a home.
Admittedly, when picking up this book, I didn’t expect much of a love story. So, I was very surprised at how heartbreaking it was. Both Beatrice and Hetty experience loss and love. Where Beatrice’s story turns tragic and dark, Hetty’s becomes hopeful and bright. There were contrasts between these women at every turn that emphasized the similarities between them, no matter how different their lives were. Although I enjoyed Hetty’s story and her uncovering of the mystery of Muirlan House, my favourite part of this book was Beatrice. She dominated the plot and reading about her life just made me want to hop back in time and be there myself. It definitely exceeded my expectations and is a great escape if you’re in the mood for a little Scottish mystery.
--Taylor