Latitudes of Melt

Joan Clark

Joan Clark is Canadian, and has published several novels, but she was unknown to me before I choose this book simply by the title. It's a good story, about a family in Newfoundland. Unlike The Shipping News, it doesn't focus on day-to-day living on The Rock, but blossoms into an international saga. As the characters search for their roots in England and Ireland, another whole story emerges; one that began on the ice with the miracle rescue of a baby girl bundled in blankets with loving care. The story moves quickly, and sometimes this interferes with getting to know some minor characters, but it is never dull. It is packed with interesting subjects - ice flow, the Titanic, lighthouses, exploring underwater wrecks, and the push to add the country of Newfoundland to Canada to name a few. Name dropping abounds. Did you know that Amelia Earhart spent 3 weeks in Trespassy, NF, waiting for the fog to clear before she flew across the Atlantic?

A very readable book, highly recommended.