Where Seagulls Fly
A story of faith, trust, and hope, Where Seagulls Fly is an evocative gem of a novel. As quiet and unassuming as the monks who live in its setting of St. Michael’s Mount in 13th-century Cornwall, this story of friendship and one man’s patient struggle to find a place in life slowly envelops the reader in its finely drawn characters and setting.
The transformation of the main character, a man tormented for so long that the only name he remembers is “Beast,” is at the heart of the novel. On his arrival at the monastery, he is shy and silent, feared by all the monks save Brother Elwin. As Elwin coaxes the outcast from his shell, the “Beast” finally finds a sense of love and security in his life, only to be threatened anew by both his past and the suspicions of others.
While the characters are compelling and the plot satisfying, the novel’s setting is truly unforgettable. From the monastery gardens beloved by Brother Elwin to the tide pools left in the Mount’s rocky beaches, author Edwin Page does a wonderful job of bringing this isolated bit of Cornwall alive.
“My faith is not based on the reasoning of the mind, but on the feelings of the heart,” says Brother Elwin, summing up the novel’s theme of the quiet persistence of emotion. This is a truly lovely book, bringing with it both the scent of the sea and sense of peace that pervade its setting, a true sanctuary.
