The Sea Bed

By Marele Day

An intriguing, understated and beautiful narrative, this is the story of a Buddhist monk, who has to travel to a remote fishing village on a task of love and duty, and a young woman who is also returning to the village of her birth.

From the author of the bestselling Lambs of God.

A novel of desire, duty and secrets, The Sea Bed follows the journey of a Buddhist monk who leaves the safe predictability of his mountain monastery and ventures into the world to carry out a fellow monk's dying request. When he encounters abalone diving women in a remote coastal village he is torn between dedication to his task and surrendering to desire. While the monk skirts around the edges of the sea women community, at its heart is Chicken, a young diver witnessing the extinction of a way of life that has been her family's for generations. If only her sister Lilli returned, perhaps somehow that would bring renewal. But the past and its secrets weigh heavily on Lilli and she had her own reasons for disappearing all those years ago. Each of these characters is locked in their own isolation, yet their stories are connected in deep and sometimes surprising ways.

A beautifully observed, lucid and evocative novel, The Sea Bed is an illuminating story of love, family and change. Utterly captivating.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Allen & Unwin
• Release date: Aug 1, 2009
• ISBN: 9781741768763

Reviews for The Sea Bed

[cloggiedownunder · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Sea Bed is Marele Day’s 9th novel. The story is that of Yugen, a Buddhist monk who sets out from his mountain monastery into the world to fulfil his mentor’s dying request; and of Chicken, the granddaughter of an abalone diver, who worries that the way of life lived by generations of her family is becoming extinct; and of Lilli, the sister/cousin of Chicken, who escaped island life to live in the city. As each person’s story slowly unwinds, secrets are revealed and the connection between the monk and the diving women becomes apparent. The novel is part stream of consciousness, part memories, part tales of the past. It is beautifully written, filled with wonderful imagery, ultimately joyful, a pleasure to read.

[rushichan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Going into Year 7 and not being a very bookish person, I picked this up and thoroughly enjoyed reading. The Sea Bed is an fantastic story for anybody looking for an story. The characters are fascinating yet there is a facet to each that you can relate to. I recommend this to readers from year 6 above for an easy yet deep read that will flow easily in your head yet have an array of surprise that only these characters would experience