Set the Stars Alight

May 11, 2020
Dykes (Whose Waves These Are) connects stories across generations in this tender inspirational. In early 2000s London, Lucy Claremont grows up with maritime adventures stories from her father and a close friendship with her neighbor Dashel. When Lucy is a teenager, her mother dies, changing her cheery father forever, and Dashel moves to the United States. In 1802 East Sussex, England, Frederick Hanford, weakened by fever, runs away from his drunken father and is found by a farming family. The family’s father, Tom, dies from the same fever, making his daughter Juliette angry, but Frederick honors Tom by making sure bells are rung on anniversaries of his death. After Frederick joins the navy, kidnappers come for Juliette, and Frederick returns to save her only to be accused of being a traitor by the navy. Back in the present, Lucy and Dashel reconnect after 20 years when they are both part of a team tasked with finding the sunken HMS Jubilee. Researching maritime art, they uncover Frederick and Juliette’s story, find the Jubilee, and discover links to the past, including a legacy left to them and the faith that built it. While the connection across centuries are sometimes heavy-handed, many surprising twists will keep readers guessing until the end. Fans of Tamera Alexander will love this.

Starred review from June 1, 2020

Lucy's childhood in a refurbished match factory in London was filled with magic and wonder. Her father, a watchmaker, would tell wondrous tales and riddles to challenge her imagination, and soon, her new American friend, Dashel, joined in the stories. But children grow up, and as Lucy's life fell apart, the only thing she has left is the mystery of the disappearance of the HMS Jubilee and the traitor who stole it. As a marine archaeologist, she is determined to find it, and with some unexpected help from a forensic astronomer, her old friend Dashel, she might uncover more than she is looking for. VERDICT Dykes (Whose Waves These Are) weaves together two narratives separated by centuries, showing how tiny actions have repercussions that ring through time. Joy and grief blend equally as Lucy and Dashel rediscover each other and the riddle set in motion by a beloved watchmaker years earlier to show he is always with them. With its appeal for inspirational and secular readers, this is highly recommended for all public libraries.--Melanie C. Duncan, Washington Memorial Lib., Macon, GA

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