Devil by the Sea – Nina Bawden (1976, 192 pages)
When I was a child I loved Nina Bawden’s books, particularly The Peppermint Pig and Carrie’s War, which a read and re-read. For some reason though, I never picked up her novels for adults. Ali has been championing her writing over on her blog Heavenali, and this prompted me to dig Devil by the Sea out of the Virago TBR (yes, the TBR is so humungous now there are TBR sub-piles) and give it a read.
I’m happy to say that Bawden is just as wonderful writing for adults as she is for children. This creepy, tightly plotted tale is a compulsive read with plenty to say about human relationships – particularly those between adults and children – and the nature of feeling Other. It begins:
“The first time the children saw the Devil, he was sitting next to them in the second row of deckchairs in the bandstand. He was biting his nails.”
The children are Hilary and Peregrine. They are not happy, carefree children; Bawden would never be that patronising in her portrayal of young people. Instead, Hilary is jealous and angry, and can be petty. Peregrine is religious and anxious. They live in a seaside town all year round and it is holiday season. Their half-sister is having an affair with a vain married man who does not love her. Their father and step-mother are under-involved in the children’s lives. Their Auntie beachcombs and keeps the rotting fish she finds. Into all this comes a man they believe is the devil.
“The man turned and looked at them. A shadow crossed his face: like an animal, he seemed to shrink and cringe before the mockery Hilary had made of him […] He continued to watch her with a steady, careful stare. She fumbled in the pocket of her cotton dress. Her voice croaked with embarrassment.
‘Would you like a toffee?’
The man looked beyond her to Peregrine. Briefly, their eyes met. Peregrine could not look away, he was transfixed. The man’s eyes were dark and dull, dead eyes without any shine in them. They reflected nothing.”
A child with the unfortunate moniker of Poppet goes missing, and Hilary saw the man lead her away.
“Poppet’s picture was in the middle of the front page and Hilary looked at it with interest….She read the first few lines beneath the picture and a dark veil came down over her eyes. Her heart beat wildly in her throat. Something cold and evil menaced her from the shadowed corners and for a while she crouched quite still, as if afraid to wake a sleeping beast.”
The fact that this evidence is not easily voiced for the situation resolved is due to the misunderstanding and myth-making of children; the obliviousness and myopia of adults; the fear of everyone.
Despite being a gothic tale in many ways, Devil by the Sea is wholly believable. This is not least because Bawden is not interested in making her characters likable, but rather real, complex, flawed and fascinating. It is creepy and captivating and deeply unsettling. On the strength of this, I will definitely be reading more of Bawden’s adult fiction, not least because I was lucky enough to win The Birds on the Trees in Ali’s giveaway last year 🙂
Lovely review, I do love Bawden. This in fact was one of the first Nina Bawden novels for adults that I read. You have lots to look forward to.
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Thanks Ali! Yes, I’m really looking forward to reading more Bawden – thank you for prompting me to rediscover her 🙂
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Unlikeable characters are so much more interesting. Ali also inspired me to buy Afternoon of a Good Woman which I’ve yet to read.
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They really are! It’s a careful balance – I still need to care about what happens to them, but I don’t need to think they’re wonderful human beings.
I’ll look forward to hearing your thoughts on Afternoon of a Good Woman, I’m really looking forward to exploring Bawden more.
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This certainly *does* sound creepy. I’ve only read one of Bawden’s books, about which I had reservations, but nevertheless I think maybe I should try again. And I love the fact that I’m not the only person whose TBR has categories… 😉
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I hope this convinces you about Bawden if you give it a try! If it wasn’t for the sub-categories my TBR would be entirely out of control 😉
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I love the phrase “under-involved in the children’s lives.”
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😀
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Tempting, but not as tempting as yesterday’s. Personally I think all children should be given to the devil anyway, so this sounds like a nice little morality tale to me… 😉
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I’m sensing you’re maybe not the target audience for this one 😀
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Gosh, I haven’t read Nina Bawden since school – I loved her work then. Lovely review.
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I hadn’t read her since school either! I’ve really enjoyed rediscovering her as an adult.
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This does sound dark. I also loved Nina Bawden ‘s children’s books but have read none of her adult fiction. I know I have some on my shelves somewhere, and if this is anything to go by I shall have to dig some out and give it a try.
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It really is dark! I hope you enjoy the adult Bawden, It’s funny how many of us enjoyed her children’s books and then lost sight of her in adulthood. I’ll look forward to hearing your thoughts 🙂
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Lovely. Bawden’s been on my radar for a while, largely due to Ali’s championing of her work, but it’s great to see that you’re a fan too. This does sound suitably dark and unsettling – a good one to try.
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It certainly turned out to be a good place to start for me – I really hope you enjoy it if you give Bawden a try Jacqui!
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I didn’t know Bawden even had books for adults… I guess when you’ve liked an author as a child you don’t think to look for adult works (and I think we had the same convo over The Borrowers and Norton’s adult books).
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I didn’t know Norton wrote for adults! Is her work for adults worth reading?
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This I have to get! I had no idea she wrote for adults. I also loved Carrie’s War, both the TV show and we did the book at school, too. I also bought it for my daughter, although I was pleased that at her school they did The Machine Gunners, another childhood war staple 🙂
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I really hope you enjoy it Lucy! There’s something wonderful about being able to carry over an author you liked in childhood into new reading discoveries in adulthood too. Your daughter’s school sounds excellent 🙂
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