Books › Monkey beach
Monkey beach
First published 2000 · 384 pages
A haunted, atmospheric journey through grief, memory, and the rugged waters of the Pacific Northwest.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like navigating frigid, mist-shrouded waters where the boundary between the living and the dead blurs. It is a steady, atmospheric saga that grounds you deeply in the rugged landscape of British Columbia and the rich cultural heritage of the Haisla people. The narrative weaves a melancholic yet resilient tone, balancing the harsh realities of grief and loss with the mystical presence of ghosts and shapeshifters. The prose captures both the wildness of a remote coastal village and the intimate, scarred history of a family caught between tradition and modernity. It will deeply resonate with readers who love evocative, character-driven stories about fierce sibling bonds, cultural identity, and the haunting weight of premonitions.
- Mood
- atmospheric
- eerie
- sorrowful
- rugged
- mystical
- Tone
- reflective
- haunted
- resilient
- melancholic
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- grief and loss · cultural identity · family bonds · the supernatural · coming of age
- The writing
- Evocative and grounded, blending the harsh realities of the natural world with the ethereal presence of the supernatural.
- The arc
- Moves from a haunted, restless youth toward a desperate, grief-fueled confrontation with loss and the unknown.
- Who it's for
- Readers who appreciate atmospheric, culturally rich family sagas intertwined with grief, ghosts, and the rugged beauty of the Pacific Northwest.
Content notes
- death of a sibling
- drowning
- grief
About the book
"Five hundred miles north of Vancouver is Kitamaat, an Indian reservation in the homeland of the Haisla people. Growing up a tough, wild tomboy, swimming, fighting, and fishing in a remote village where the land slips into the green ocean on the edge of the world, Lisamarie has always been different. Visited by ghosts and shapeshifters, tormented by premonitions, she can't escape the sense that something terrible is waiting for her.
She recounts her enchanted yet scarred life as she journeys by speedboat up the frigid waters of the Douglas Channel. She is searching for her brother, dead by drowning, and in her own way running as fast as she can toward danger.".
"Circling her brother's tragic death are the remarkable characters that make up her family: Lisamarie's parents, struggling to join their Haisla heritage with Western ways; Uncle Mick, a Native rights activist and devoted Elvis fan; and the headstrong Ma-ma-oo (Haisla for "grandmother"), a guardian of tradition."--BOOK JACKET.
Description from Open Library.
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