Review: 4.5 Beautifully written stars
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 13, 2014
You know those books that just plunge you right into the lives of the characters, have you feeling each and every one of their emotions, and keeping you captive until the end? And even then you’re still thinking about the story? That is Undertow for me. This is my first novel by Amber Lynn Natusch and I love finding new to me authors like her, knowing I’ll be picking up more to read in the future because of her ability to tell a deeply real, emotional story.Undertow’s unique setting of the king crab fishing and Bering Sea provided a harshly beautiful, salt-of-the-earth kind of feel to the story. We meet Aesa, who is headed home to Dutch Harbor, Alaska, to settle things with her father, whom she hasn’t seen in over nine years. The dialogue between Aesa and her father, as well as her internal dialogue, were so real to me. Maybe it’s because I could imagine myself in her shoes with a father who might not be overly expressive or in a situation that is her heritage but not necessarily where she wants to be, but I really related to Aesa’s conflicting emotions. The story also brings us Decker, Robbie, Damon, the other captains, and so many more. All of them added a richness to the story that had me smiling and crying at various moments. And the moments with Decker…what a beautiful man! *sigh*I give serious props to Amber Lynn for developing a story within the harsh and rugged Alaska fishing community that is rich with love, friendship, and family. The scenes on the boat were vivid but not overly technical that I lost the underlying story of forgiveness and love. I highly recommend this one!