It follows the story of a banker, Barry, who has recently quit his job to sort of find himself. He loves art and painting and decides to go visit the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia because his favorite painter, Paul Gaugin, was buried there. His work reflects the native peoples and Barry is drawn to being in that environment. When the small plane he is on crashes in the ocean, Barry has to fight to survive on a small uninhabited island.
On the plane with him is a newly married couple from France, and Barry thinks that both they and the pilot have died. After he washes ashore, he discovers that Sophie also survived the crash, though heartbroken and bitter that her husband did not make it.
The story then follows the two as they work together, and apart, to survive on the tiny island. The rich storytelling and beautiful writing make the tale both enchanting and difficult to put down. The incredible details, challenges, and postcard-like descriptions are such a backdrop for a powerful tale of humanity. We all read this book (which doesn't always happen) and everyone loved it!
"And so it came to pass that two utterly disparate lives happened to overlap ... bound together on an uninhabited island some 2,359 miles from Hawaii, 4,622 miles from Chile, and 533 miles from the nearest living soul." Dane Huckelbridge, "Castle of Water"
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