Castle of Water

Author: Dane Huckelbridge
Genre: Adventure, Contemporary Fiction
Type: Hardcover
Pages: 288
Source: Interlibrary Loan
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
First Published: April 2017
Opening Lines: "The flat is in the tenth arrondissement of Paris, on a derelict street called Chateau d'Eau. To find it is simple: Just take a right at the arch, go down rue Saint-Denis, steer clear of the dog shit, and you cannot miss it."


Book Description from GoodReads: Two very different people, one very small island.

For Sophie Ducel, her honeymoon in French Polynesia was intended as a celebration of life. The proud owner of a thriving Parisian architecture firm, co-founded with her brilliant new husband, Sophie had much to look forward to—including a visit to the island home of her favorite singer, Jacques Brel.

For Barry Bleecker, the same trip was meant to mark a new beginning. Turning away from his dreary existence in Manhattan finance, Barry had set his sights on fine art, seeking creative inspiration on the other side of the world—just like his idol, Paul Gauguin.

But when their small plane is downed in the middle of the South Pacific, the sole survivors of the wreck are left with one common goal: to survive. Stranded hundreds of miles from civilization, on an island the size of a large city block, the two castaways must reconcile their differences and learn to draw on one another's strengths if they are to have any hope of making it home.

Told in mesmerizing prose, with charm and rhythm entirely its own, Dane Huckelbridge's Castle of Water is more than just a reimagining of the classic castaway story. It is a stirring reflection on love’s restorative potential, as well as a poignant reminder that home—be it a flat in Paris, a New York apartment, or a desolate atoll a world away—is where the heart is.

My Rating: 2 stars (ie. 'meh, wouldn't recommend it')

My Review: I can't remember where I first heard about this book but a 'classic castaway' story sounded like an interesting premise (though admittedly an odd choice right before I fly down south).  This book got high ratings on GoodReads but, unfortunately, it fell short for me. Maybe I wasn't in the mood for it? Right book, wrong time? I don't know but I struggled through most of it.

First, for a book that deals with life, death, fear and loss, it lacked emotion and felt contrived. It follows a predictable 'man and woman castaways on a far off island' story line (with the woman losing much of her clothing in the accident - surprise, surprise) and while there were a couple of scenes that had some tension, the main focus is on the repetitive minutiae of their daily lives with their struggles being handled much too easily (don't get me started on the homemade contact solution!).

Secondly, I wasn't a fan of Sophie and Barry and didn't feel like I ever cared about them. Their constant sniping got old fast as did the regular addition of French phrases in the dialogue which were distracting and repetitive (for those of us who understand French).

Overall, this was a miss for me. With the ending revealed early on, the plot was predictable and while I enjoyed some of the sidebar stories and castaway facts that the author includes, these tidbits and the idyllic beauty of French Polynesia weren't enough to make this a book that I'd recommend.