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THE SPIRIT OF SCATERIE
Lesley Crewe
Vagrant Press
September 16, 2025
384 pages
I’ve been a fan of Lesley Crewe for many years. I did not realize she had a new book coming out, but I was thrilled to grab it.
This story is very different from all the previous stories. It is about life on Scaterie, a small island, just off the coast of Cape Breton. It is, in part, narrated by a ghost named Cara. Cara was a young girl when she drowned off the coast of Scaterie, many years ago. The main characters are Mary Alice, Sam and Hardy. By coincidence, they were all born on Christmas Day to different mothers. The three share a special bond because of their birth date.
I’d call this a cozy story. It takes us through the main characters’ lives, from childhood to marriage and beyond. There are ups and downs. There is loss. All three have distinct personalities. Their tight friendship hangs on (with a few bumps) throughout. Their family members and other residents of the island pop in and out of the story. There is a very strong sense of community.
Cara, the spirit, speaks up every once in a while to give us her thoughts and opinions. But, she is not intrusive, she hangs in the background as she watches over Sam and Harris and Mary Alice.
The description of the island, the lighthouse, the lay of the land is wonderful. There are times I swear that I could feel the cold, bitter wind blowing in from the ocean. Or the tall grasses gently blowing in the summer breeze.
If there is anything negative to say about this book, it’s that I often got some of the minor characters mixed up. The families are large and there are lots of brothers and sisters. But, that did not distract.
There were definitely a few tears (a couple times) towards the end.
Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.
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