Lights on the Sea by Miquel Reina is a wonderful achievement for a debut novel, a narrative that is as engaging as it is daring. A retired couple, Mary Rose and Harold, live in a house perched on the edge of a cliff. They can’t overcome their grief after losing their son thirty-five years ago. It is the eve of their eviction from the dangerous area and something terrible happens — a violent storm uproots their house and tosses it into the sea where it floats away. As they drift off on the rising waves, they can see the past receding behind them, and shimmers of light beckoning them into a new experience. What is it that awaits them and are they ready for it?

Lights on the Sea is a sweet story, poignant and deeply moving, a tale of grief, solitude, and the quest for redemption. In this narrative, the author explores the themes of family, human loss, freedom, and redemption. It answers the question: What does it take to let go? The writing is filled with emotion and the key characters are so human it’s easy to identify with them. You will feel their pain. You will feel as if you have known their despair all along because they are like any human. Miquel Reina’s plot may be straightforward, but the author fills it with deep emotional and psychological layers. It is character driven, fast paced, and laced with realism. The setting is well imagined and executed to read like a character in this engrossing tale. Lights on the Sea is a delightful read.

Miquel Reina’s Lights on the Sea is the lyrically written story of an older couple, Harold and Mary Rose Grapes, living in a house perched above a beach. Due to erosion, their beloved house barely maintains its grip on the edge of the highest peak of an island, San Remo de Mar. There they have lived for over three decades while Mary Rose, formerly a florist, tends to her flowers and Harold, a retired shipbuilder, builds ships in bottles, both holding a shared devastating tragedy at bay. Now, they are being forced out of their home by the local authorities who have deemed it as not only breaking certain new regulations but in danger of sliding into the sea as well. Then, as they grudgingly pack the last of their belongings, the worst storm in over thirty years strikes and changes their lives forever.

As his authorial debut, Miquel Reina’s Lights on the Sea, while fantastical, realistically explores the later years of Mary Rose and Harold with their memories of youthful days and unrequited regrets. The book is several stories in one: a tale of loss, a pilgrimage to redemption, and an allegory of life and its inevitable culmination, and a rekindled romance. The Grapes rediscover their love and their natural affection for each other. The fact that it is a translation from Spanish gives its language a poetic lyricism. Adding to this charm are its illustrations, drawn by the author who is also an accomplished artist. Lights on the Sea takes us on a journey that is equal parts whimsy and truth. It leaves us satisfied but thoughtful. Wonderful story and writing!