Review: The Seachangers

Title: The Seachangers

Author: Meredith Appleyard

Publisher: 4th September 2024 by Harlequin Australia, HQ (Fiction, Non Fiction, YA) & MIRA

Pages: 400 pages

Genre: General Fiction (Adult), contemporary 

Rating: 5 cups

Synopsis:

A thoughtful, charming and sensitive story about aging, resilience and the delight of rediscovery.

It's never too late for a new beginning.

At 57, Ruth made a successful sea she relocated from the city to the country and opened Rosie's Cafe in the seaside town of Cutlers Bay. Business boomed, but five years on the shine has worn off. Where has that other Ruth gone, the independent, feisty woman who'd had the courage to sell up in the city and move to the country? Even the bathroom mirror is reflecting back someone she doesn't quite greying hair, wrinkles, the sparkle all but gone from her blue eyes. Ruth is convinced she has to make a change - if only she could decide what.

After a lifetime of hard work out bush, Hamish has retired to the city for a life of comfort and ease. It's what he always dreamed of, so why doesn't he feel satisfied? When his 89-year-old father dies, Hamish comes to Cutlers Bay to settle his affairs. At first, packing up the house and renovating it to sell is both a filial duty and a welcome project to fill his days. As the work energises him, Hamish was retiring a mistake? The longer he's in town, the more Cutlers Bay starts to feel like home. And a certain cafe owner makes the idea of staying there all the more appealing ...

My Thoughts

Gosh I love Meredith’s books! Meredith is part of a group of authors writing tales that involve our aging population and I salute her for shining the spotlight on this undervalued age group. It’s not overly dramatic but packs a punch where it counts for the over 50s age bracket and the challenges and decisions they often face. 

‘I'd noticed that about getting older: I couldn't keep as many balls in the air at one time, not anymore, no matter how many lists I made and how hard I tried.’

The Seachangers is a sensitive story about ageing, retirement and new beginnings. Meredith assembles a great cast of characters from the over 50s, to teenagers, to single mothers. Every one of them has something to contribute and it’s the tiny details that make the story so relatable. It’s about the problems of life and how we cope with them no matter what our age is. With themes including family, suicide, retirement, running a small business, death, depression and alcoholism.  

‘The idea I might end my days in an aged-care facility was beyond the pale. I needed to get my act together, make the most of the years I had left before it was too late.‘

The Seachangers is a wonderful story that I could not put down. There is something for every reader but especially those getting older and some of the big questions about not only what direction your life is going but how you are going to get there. 

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.