When a flood destroys Gavin Weald's home, tearing apart his family and his way of life, he doesn't know how to continue. A year later, he returns to his rebuilt home and tries to start again, but when the new rainy season arrives, so do his daughter's nightmares about the torrents, and life there becomes unbearable. So father and daughter - and their dog - embark upon a voyage to make peace with the waters. Their journey will take them far from their Caribbean island home, into other unknown harbours and eventually across a massive ocean. They will sail through archipelagos, encounter the grandeur of the sea, meet with the challenges and surprises of the natural world. A miraculous future lies ahead of them, unknown territories await to be discovered. But it will take more than an ocean to put the memory of the flood behind them...
Archipelago
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'Monique Roffey's Archipelago is a sparkling portrayal of the Caribbean, and the outer layer of the plot is a magical sea voyage through the islands between Trinidad and the Panama Canal. The real story of Archipelago, however, is a deeply moving journey through grief' --(Kate Saunders, We Love This Book July issue)
'Roffey reveals here in her understanding of men in extremis.
As a writer, Roffey meets the challenge confidently, structuring her narrative adeptly and holding the reader's attention throughout. As the novel progresses, we are invited to condemn Gavin a little less and understand him a lot more. In his inner dialogue we catch the dilemma of a man living in a world where every action is expected to be executed perfectly and confidently, while dealing with feelings of isolation, self-doubt, fear and shame.
Out on the open sea, where his decisions become a matter of life or death, we see that for all his self-loathing, he is motivated by two kinds of love an aching longing for his dead wife and a profound love for his daughter. All of which comes on top of more traditional elements of sea-faring adventure. It's a powerful story of endurance and triumph in the face of adversity, and one that also offers answers to questions of how we might respond in a rapidly changing world when things start to go wrong' --(Jim Ferguson, Scotsman)
'ARCHIPELAGO is lovely: a novel full of sensual, elemental description, soaked in loss and damage and softly haunted by the Caribbean's bloody history of slavery' --(Claire Allfree, interview, Metro)
'Fascinating... Archipelago was a revelation to me; bringing to life a part of the world I knew little about' --(New Books)
'A dangerous, beautiful journey through the Caribbean - evoked by Roffey in a prose-feast of flying fish and turquoise water… moving' --(The Times)
'ARCHIPELAGO travels to new, intoxicating latitudes… The result is an adventure blazing with a lust for life. The thrust of the story is both geographical and psychological. Roffey excels equally at the hands-on descriptions of yachting, the intricacies of island navigation, the beauty and terror of the sea, and the inner life of her rudderless protagonist… Half the joy here is the experience of life on a boat… The other half is riding the waves with an open mind to discover where Gavin and his crew wash up. …[This is a] big-hearted Moby-Dick story for our times' --(Kapka Kassabova, The Guardian)
'Roffey traces [Gavin and his daughter Ocean's] meditative journey from Trinidad, heading to the Galapagos, with deceptively simple prose that tenderly brings to life the wondrous creatures and landscapes they encounter. But the real strength of the novel lies in her quiet exploration of both a child and an adult's attempts to comprehend the loss and catastrophe that nature can impose' --(Francesca Angelini, The Sunday Times)
'Monique Roffey's compelling new novel...is studded with striking images. There's a real sense of momentum...Roffey is adept at conveying wonder' --(Natasha Tripney, The Observer)
'Well-written and well told… Monique Roffey has a winner on her hands with ARCHIPELAGO' --(Raoul Pantin, Trinidad and Tobago Review) --(Claire Allfree, interview, Metro)
Fascinating... Archipelago was a revelation to me; bringing to life a part of the world I knew little about --New Books
ARCHIPELAGO is lovely: a novel full of sensual, elemental description, soaked in loss and damage and softly haunted by the Caribbean's bloody history of slavery' --(Claire Allfree, interview, Metro)
'Roffey reveals here in her understanding of men in extremis.
As a writer, Roffey meets the challenge confidently, structuring her narrative adeptly and holding the reader's attention throughout. As the novel progresses, we are invited to condemn Gavin a little less and understand him a lot more. In his inner dialogue we catch the dilemma of a man living in a world where every action is expected to be executed perfectly and confidently, while dealing with feelings of isolation, self-doubt, fear and shame.
Out on the open sea, where his decisions become a matter of life or death, we see that for all his self-loathing, he is motivated by two kinds of love an aching longing for his dead wife and a profound love for his daughter. All of which comes on top of more traditional elements of sea-faring adventure. It's a powerful story of endurance and triumph in the face of adversity, and one that also offers answers to questions of how we might respond in a rapidly changing world when things start to go wrong' --(Jim Ferguson, Scotsman)
'ARCHIPELAGO is lovely: a novel full of sensual, elemental description, soaked in loss and damage and softly haunted by the Caribbean's bloody history of slavery' --(Claire Allfree, interview, Metro)
'Fascinating... Archipelago was a revelation to me; bringing to life a part of the world I knew little about' --(New Books)
'A dangerous, beautiful journey through the Caribbean - evoked by Roffey in a prose-feast of flying fish and turquoise water… moving' --(The Times)
'ARCHIPELAGO travels to new, intoxicating latitudes… The result is an adventure blazing with a lust for life. The thrust of the story is both geographical and psychological. Roffey excels equally at the hands-on descriptions of yachting, the intricacies of island navigation, the beauty and terror of the sea, and the inner life of her rudderless protagonist… Half the joy here is the experience of life on a boat… The other half is riding the waves with an open mind to discover where Gavin and his crew wash up. …[This is a] big-hearted Moby-Dick story for our times' --(Kapka Kassabova, The Guardian)
'Roffey traces [Gavin and his daughter Ocean's] meditative journey from Trinidad, heading to the Galapagos, with deceptively simple prose that tenderly brings to life the wondrous creatures and landscapes they encounter. But the real strength of the novel lies in her quiet exploration of both a child and an adult's attempts to comprehend the loss and catastrophe that nature can impose' --(Francesca Angelini, The Sunday Times)
'Monique Roffey's compelling new novel...is studded with striking images. There's a real sense of momentum...Roffey is adept at conveying wonder' --(Natasha Tripney, The Observer)
'Well-written and well told… Monique Roffey has a winner on her hands with ARCHIPELAGO' --(Raoul Pantin, Trinidad and Tobago Review) --(Claire Allfree, interview, Metro)
Fascinating... Archipelago was a revelation to me; bringing to life a part of the world I knew little about --New Books
ARCHIPELAGO is lovely: a novel full of sensual, elemental description, soaked in loss and damage and softly haunted by the Caribbean's bloody history of slavery' --(Claire Allfree, interview, Metro)
About the Author
Monique Roffey was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, and educated in the UK. Since then she has worked as a Centre Director for the Arvon foundation and has held the post of Royal Literary Fund Fellow at Sussex, Chichester and Greenwich universities. She is the author of the highly acclaimed novels sun dog, and The White Woman on the Green Bicycle, which was shortlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction 20101, and the Encore Award 2011. She has also written a memoir, With the Kisses of His Mouth. Read more about her at www.moniqueroffey.co.uk.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By Curiosity Killed The Bookworm
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Hardcover
On the island of Trinidad, floods have destroyed Gavin's home and wrought havoc on his family. Left to raise his six-year-old daughter, Océan, by himself he's struggling with work and overwhelming loneliness. When he wakes up one morning he decides he wants to run away; take his boat, his dog and his daughter and sail out into the Caribbean and beyond.
Archipelago has made me want to hire a boat and sail round the Caribbean! Whilst the natural beauty may be a tourism advert, it is balanced by the darker side of the islands, unethical tourism, natural disaster and the seedier side of the locals. The sea itself is both mesmerising and dangerous. And whilst Gavin and Océan are surrounded by beauty, there is an underlying feeling of melancholy and a loss that is rarely talked about.
Océan makes a convincing six-year-old; she is perceptive and curious but not in a way that is beyond her years. She comes out with questions typical to children her age and her sadness is quiet, from someone who is not quite sure what is wrong in her world but knowing it is definitely not right. Despite some of the content, I never found it a depressing read and there are several moments that will bring a smile to your face to counteract the bad. It might be a bit too slow a read for some but if you love books about the sea, I would highly recommend.
Archipelago has made me want to hire a boat and sail round the Caribbean! Whilst the natural beauty may be a tourism advert, it is balanced by the darker side of the islands, unethical tourism, natural disaster and the seedier side of the locals. The sea itself is both mesmerising and dangerous. And whilst Gavin and Océan are surrounded by beauty, there is an underlying feeling of melancholy and a loss that is rarely talked about.
Océan makes a convincing six-year-old; she is perceptive and curious but not in a way that is beyond her years. She comes out with questions typical to children her age and her sadness is quiet, from someone who is not quite sure what is wrong in her world but knowing it is definitely not right. Despite some of the content, I never found it a depressing read and there are several moments that will bring a smile to your face to counteract the bad. It might be a bit too slow a read for some but if you love books about the sea, I would highly recommend.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By selliot
Format:Hardcover
I knew I'd like this book, because it's got a lot of sea and a lot of weather, and I like a bit of sea and weather. But I didn't realise what a treat I was in for. This book is beautiful; one of the most beautiful books, in fact, that I have ever read. The writing is, in many places, exquisite, and characters so real they have taken up residence in my heart.
After a devastating flood sweeps through their home in Trinidad, killing his baby son, Gavin takes his six-year-old daughter, Ocean, and their elderly dog, Suzy, and sets sail in Romany, the boat he owns with a friend but hasn't sailed for years. It's a spur of the moment decision and it soon becomes clear that he hasn't quite thought it through. But Gavin cannot continue in the life that he's been left with. Is he running away? Perhaps. But it's more of a journey of discovery. He needs to find out who he is now that the flood has swept away his identity as a husband and father, provider and protector. 'His wife made him healthy, stable. Now he is half-himself, not himself.'
It was the power of nature that took so much away from him, and it is as though he now wants to face nature, to put his trust in it once more. As they sail through archipelagos and out across the vast ocean, they come up against nature's violence and treachery, which is vividly, often viscerally described:
'The boat begins to buck and nosedive into the waves...forward and then backwards; up and then down; restless unpredictable rollercoaster movements...He's forgotten how quickly the sea can change. One moment it can be flat, quiet, agreeable, then of another mood entirely, wicked and vexed. The sea can be a bitch. She can hurl you from your bunk, have you vomiting out your guts, lash you with stray halyards. She never wants to be taken for granted.'
But they also encounter moments of startling beauty and joy. They see flying fish and brightly coloured coral; they swim with dolphins, and they encounter many other wonders of nature.
I won't deny that this book has some terribly sad moments. I sobbed - I mean sobbed - more than once; but I also felt the more positive emotions, the awe, the delight, the amusement, the love. This is Monique Roffey's real skill; the observations are so acute, the imagery so perfect, that not only do we see what the characters see, hear what they hear and smell what they smell, we actually feel what they feel.
The relationship between father and daughter is beautifully drawn. Gavin is often humbled by his daughter, by her trust in him and by her perceptiveness. He observes her closely and suffers with her:
'He can see her puzzling...she is quietly working out how many different types of loss might exist. Many, my mermaid. Many.'
I loved the characters in this novel, especially the three main ones, Ocean with her little Snoopy sunglasses, Suzy, the faithful dog who eats with them, sleeps with them and swims with them, and Gavin, who is a good man, struggling to cope. This is a novel of loss and grief, but also of the power of love and life. When I'd finished it, I didn't want to start another book for a while, because I wanted to dwell on this one for just a bit longer. I'm pretty certain I'll be reading it again.
After a devastating flood sweeps through their home in Trinidad, killing his baby son, Gavin takes his six-year-old daughter, Ocean, and their elderly dog, Suzy, and sets sail in Romany, the boat he owns with a friend but hasn't sailed for years. It's a spur of the moment decision and it soon becomes clear that he hasn't quite thought it through. But Gavin cannot continue in the life that he's been left with. Is he running away? Perhaps. But it's more of a journey of discovery. He needs to find out who he is now that the flood has swept away his identity as a husband and father, provider and protector. 'His wife made him healthy, stable. Now he is half-himself, not himself.'
It was the power of nature that took so much away from him, and it is as though he now wants to face nature, to put his trust in it once more. As they sail through archipelagos and out across the vast ocean, they come up against nature's violence and treachery, which is vividly, often viscerally described:
'The boat begins to buck and nosedive into the waves...forward and then backwards; up and then down; restless unpredictable rollercoaster movements...He's forgotten how quickly the sea can change. One moment it can be flat, quiet, agreeable, then of another mood entirely, wicked and vexed. The sea can be a bitch. She can hurl you from your bunk, have you vomiting out your guts, lash you with stray halyards. She never wants to be taken for granted.'
But they also encounter moments of startling beauty and joy. They see flying fish and brightly coloured coral; they swim with dolphins, and they encounter many other wonders of nature.
I won't deny that this book has some terribly sad moments. I sobbed - I mean sobbed - more than once; but I also felt the more positive emotions, the awe, the delight, the amusement, the love. This is Monique Roffey's real skill; the observations are so acute, the imagery so perfect, that not only do we see what the characters see, hear what they hear and smell what they smell, we actually feel what they feel.
The relationship between father and daughter is beautifully drawn. Gavin is often humbled by his daughter, by her trust in him and by her perceptiveness. He observes her closely and suffers with her:
'He can see her puzzling...she is quietly working out how many different types of loss might exist. Many, my mermaid. Many.'
I loved the characters in this novel, especially the three main ones, Ocean with her little Snoopy sunglasses, Suzy, the faithful dog who eats with them, sleeps with them and swims with them, and Gavin, who is a good man, struggling to cope. This is a novel of loss and grief, but also of the power of love and life. When I'd finished it, I didn't want to start another book for a while, because I wanted to dwell on this one for just a bit longer. I'm pretty certain I'll be reading it again.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Lynne
Format:Kindle Edition
I never write reviews and I wanted to about this book. I bought it by mistake--I thought it was something else. Then it pulled me in and I couldn't put it down. It's about a man in mid-life and his young daughter who have been through a devastating trauma--the details of which are only revealed slowly as the story unfolds. So they set sail on an old boat with some traumas of its own from Trinidad, through the ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao) and further afield, learning to live again, healing, and having adventures on the open seas. It's not all fun and games--there are some harrowing experiences along the way. Although the story is grounded in a tragedy, the narrative doesn't wallow, and by moving seamlessly between past and present it gives a very real sense of what the healing process is like. And if you're a sailor or like the ocean there are beautiful passages about life at sea.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Relaxing read!
Not finished yet, but good story so far. Writing is very visual , which makes the book a lovely escape... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Stephanie Mathern
3.0 out of 5 stars
Bit dull really
Pacy and interesting to start off, but fairly predictable and forgettable by the end. Makes the Caribbean sound very interesting though!
Published 4 months ago by skarey
4.0 out of 5 stars
Suz
A thought provoking book which takes you on a journey, not only with natural disasters but also about life, love and what is important. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Book-Shelf
3.0 out of 5 stars
Fine Wine and molasses; avast yuh swabs!
Having read Monique Roffey's last tome, With Kisses from his Mouth, I approached her latest oeuvre more in hope than expectation; Kisses was largely autobiographical, whereas... Read more
Published 8 months ago by tvc15
5.0 out of 5 stars
An wonderful escape for the reader too
This is an uplifting tale carrying the reader on a journey out of everyday life both emotionally and geographically. Read more
Published 8 months ago by meg keir
5.0 out of 5 stars
fantastic
What I loved about this novel is that on the surface it appears to be a very simple story during which not a great deal happens. Read more
Published 9 months ago by S. gould
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