Episode 13: Hit the Beach

Summary: Grab your SPF 30 and watch out for rip currents, we’re headed to the beach! Today, Holly and Devin bring books that take place at the beach and by the sea. The summer vibes are strong, and Holly and Devin find that they crave more whimsical, light versions of the books in their wheelhouses this time of year. They agree that beach-themed books across genres can flood the market and not all of them are gems. When done well, however, these books provide escapism and fun they both can’t get enough of. 

Topics Discussed:

• The Dagger (4:06): Holly discussed Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie, a 1941 murder mystery novel that follows our favorite detective Hercule Poirot on what was meant to be a vacation and quickly turns into the murder investigation of the beautiful actress, Arlena Marshall. Her key takeaways were:

  • The beach is central to the novel in both fun and important ways; Arlena is found strangled on the beach, and Poirot tracks the fun in the sun activities of all his suspects throughout the novel until we find our killer.

  • As with Christie’s other novels, this book is a product of the time in which it was written and some descriptions of characters or phrases contain the racism and xenophobia prevalent at the time, and unfortunately still prevalent in many arenas today. 

    • If you’re looking for books with a similar structure but a more modern voice, Holly recommends:

      • Sujata Massey’s the Satapur Moonstone (from Ep. 6)

      • Soji Shimada’s Murder in the Crooked House

      • Shamini Flint’s Inspector Singh Investigates Series

      • Christopher Huang’s A Gentleman’s Murder

  • Christie’s books are hinged on small details - objects, things that go missing or suddenly reappear, timing, etc. and the puzzle of it all is Holly’s favorite part; you know that by the end you will have found the killer, and the rest of the time is fun in the sun following Poirot as he hunts. 

• The Heart (19:03): Devin discussed The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune, a novel following boring, solitary Linus Baker from his desk job for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth (DICOMY) to a magical orphanage on an island in which 6 magical children reside with their caretaker, the charming Arthur Parnassus. Her key takeaways were:

  • The beach and ocean in this novel play myriad roles, but the clearest comes in the contracts between Linus’ life before (very black and white) and his life when he arrives on the island (high saturation, vibrant color). It serves to separate the orphanage from the mainland, but also brings comfort, power, and happiness to all the characters.

  • The quirky and fascinating cast of characters (including the Antichrist and a were-Pomeranian) teach Linus (and therefore the reader) about passion, authenticity, love, and finding your own super power. Linus is the only non-magical person on the island, and his evolution shows us that kindness is magical too. 

  • Klune, in an interview, stated that this novel was inspired in part by The Sixties Scoop - the mass removal of Aboriginal children from their families to the child welfare system, in most cases without consent, throughout the 1960s in Canada. This caused a fair bit of controversy, and readers can choose to engage with the book or not at their discretion. However, we encourage respect for T.J. Klune himself and remind everyone that inspiration can come from anywhere - it doesn’t mean the work itself is valueless. 

• Hot On the Shelf (37:17):

  • Holly: The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine 

  • Devin: Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert

• What’s Making Our Hearts Race (41:20):

  • Holly: Season 4 of Stranger Things on Netflix

  • Devin: Heartstopper on Netflix

    • Graphic Novel Series: Heartstopper by Alice Oseman

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