Wild and unkempt, she is marginalized by the local community, which treats her as slow-witted, a virtual outcast. In those days, flither girls were seen as the
lowest of the low; the hard work they did, toiling in freezing conditions, scaling cliff faces, wading out to sea and braving the treacherous currents, went largely unappreciated and undervalued. Amy braves the ferocious conditions without question or complaint; it is all she has ever known.
One stormy day, her life is torn apart when her beloved father is lost at sea. In her denial of events, she searches the sea and shore, convinced that he will return, but instead of her father she finds another refugee washed ashore. Facing a life-threatening decision, she can either leave him there to perish and save her own life, or she can try to save both herself and this mysterious man. But in doing so, she risks being cut off and suffering a cruel death in the freezing water of the North Sea. The trouble is, it is 1915 and the refugee is German ...
Thus begins a story that combines family conflict, adventure, war and romance, in which we witness Amy's rite of passage as we share her secret while she focuses all her attentions on this illicit friend. The conflict that came ashore turns a girl into a woman.
This story gives a glimpse of life during the First World War from a different perspective.
Included in the book are links to the following:
• High-resolution map
• Further reading and interest
• Interview with the author
• Reading Group Guide