Sea hello, wave goodbye

Second novels are tricky, to say the least. There is always the danger of failing to live up to expectations or, worse, being downright bland. This is especially so after a rather meteoric rise to literary and popular acclaim.

Susan Fletcher's first novel, Eve Green, earned her the prestigious Whitbread first novel award and the dubious honour of winning the Richard and Judy Summer Read of 2005. One always wonders what the second novel will be like (if it ever materialises) and Ms Fletcher returns with a haunting, if disturbing, tale of coming of age. It is a story of regret and the complexities of life, told in almost poetic terms that instantly draw you into a world where the sea is a constant, unsettling presence.

The heroine, if one can describe Moira Stone as such, is pointedly and unashamedly not likeable. She develops from an awkward but not utterly unpleasant child into a strange, detached adult. Deeply attached to the Pembrokeshire coast, Moira is a very complex, but paradoxically bleak, character. Bitterly jealous of her younger sister Amy, it is only while the latter is lying in a coma that Moira finds the strength to examine her own life. This introspection is told in the often unsettling third person, highlighting Moira's detachment from the world around her. The sea's constant presence may superficially be seen as a cliché; yet Ms Fletcher's masterful use of language overcomes such dangers and instead draws the reader into a world fraught with danger and mystery.

Parents of teenagers may sigh at Moira's misperceptions. Still, Moira is not just your average child who wallows in self-pity. Highly intelligent, she does not seem to particularly care about her talents. To other parents this might prove to be particularly frustrating, but Moira's parents are neither particularly interested in academic pursuits, nor given to expressing emotions. She sails through school without ever really caring and in the end, she falls in love at a remarkably young age. As with everything else she experiences, she is at first utterly unresponsive, but in the end the simplicity of her love, and the consequences of her insecurities, constitute the book's most poignant highlights.

Moira's pointed, often brutal, honesty hovers between the endearing and the frustrating. Her very sheltered existence explains both her naïveté and her often vexatious, polarised view of her small world. Balance is provided by her colourful, if flighty, aunt Til, who wanders in and out of the narrative at rather important moments. Til, at least, is happy to talk about emotions and is the most human of the novel's characters.

In life, Moira built a steel wall between her and her sister, for no reason other than she wanted to remain an only child. It is only when Amy is in a coma, unable to respond, that Moira finds it within her to spend time with Amy. It could be argued that she only recounts her life story in an effort to find redemption; and yet, her detachment makes this surreal, rather than a search for forgiveness. Moira achieves inner peace because at 28 years of age she finally steps into adulthood and gains some perspective.

This is not an easy novel to read. The narrative is relentlessly claustrophobic and Moira's selfishness becomes increasingly bitter and stifling. Yet, these are the qualities which make this story so unique. The ending can be taken as either a kind of epiphany or ultimately as something distastefully unholy. The decision lies with the reader, but whatever the case, Moira remains unpleasant to the very end.

• Ms Vella Gregory is an archaeologist and devoted foodie. When she is not busy with ancient artefacts, she can be found cooking and enjoying good food and entertaining friends.

• A review copy of this title was supplied by Agenda Bookshop.