Where the Sea Lavender Grows
Marsh House, an historic cottage near the North Norfolk coast, is a character in this novel. Not only does the story revolve around it during two different eras, but it has a voice—especially in the chapters set in 2005-2006.
The original tenant, Lilias Carter-Brown, painted fading murals during WWII that Elise is hired to restore some 65 years later. What drew her to apply for the job was a photograph in a historical exhibition of a boy who strongly resembled the ten-year-old son she lost to cancer. Grief paralyzed her as a painter and a wife, and she hopes working in Norfolk will be an escape and a chance to explore the story of that boy. From the moment she enters Marsh House, Elise feels Lilias as a presence. When she describes her sense of familiarity, perhaps ghosts, to the carpenter Sam, he assures her that many old houses seem haunted. Still, Elise learns all she can about Marsh House during the war, discovering that the boy David in the photograph, along with his mother, was an evacuee from London who lived there. The chapters set in 1939 to 1943 depict David’s time with the Carter-Brown sisters and the mysterious disappearance of his father the day he was to report to the army. These chapters focus on Lilias, a unique woman in her era for more than covering her walls with paintings.
Kitty Johnson depicts grief evocatively in this moving story: how the characters respond to profound loss and how they find the strength and purpose to continue living after heartbreak. Where the Sea Lavender Grows is highly recommended for its emotional dimensions, intriguing plot twists, and descriptions of the salt marshes with their ever-changing stark beauty.
