My Side of the Ocean

''Profound and unputdownable, it’s a novel of great empathy and insight...'' — Jenefer Shute, Author of Life-Size

''A deeply searching novel questioning not only how and why we seek solace in another person, but why we live the way we do; choose the partners we need; seek comfort in the familiar and may discard that very comfort towards an alternative existence to find a different sort of solace… And talking of solace, you will ultimately find oceans of it in this searching book that cannot be recommended enough.'' — Orielle Berry, Cape Times

''I found it fascinating that as a male author, Irwin writes so convincingly from Stella''s perspective - theres not a single misstep or fact that doesn''t ring true in this intriguing tale of love, loss, decisions and consequences.'' — Gerry Waldem, You Magazine

Accomplished American artist Stella Wright’s beachside home in Cape Town is perched on the edge of land and sea, safety and vulnerability, the domestic and the wild. When Stella takes an afternoon swim, she is unprepared for the drama that unfolds. She and a nearby surfer are tracked by a giant great white shark that swims close enough so she can look it in the eye, leaving the two of them deeply traumatised.

The surfer – Ben – is a waterman who paints trawlers for a living. There is an almost instant attraction between them, but Stella is married to wealthy American financier Jack Barlow, and she and her husband are preparing to leave the country.Stella and Ben begin a passionate affair. The two of them must face their fear of the water; Stella because beaches and oceans form the basis of her art, Ben because surfing is his passion. Into this situation Jack returns from overseas to tie up their affairs and bring Stella back to New York.

Stella must make a choice between the man who has reawakened her original passion for art, and the man who can give her everything else the world has to offer.

My Side of the Ocean is a novel of great empathy and insight, exploring essential questions about what it means to live, and love, when the secure foundations of a life have been ripped away.