Safe From the Sea

“Geye tackles the subjects of death, dying, and living with admirable insight and courage…Geye engages the complexities of family dynamics skillfully and handles especially well the kind of family grudges and misunderstandings that can cripple relationships for decades, as they do here. Inspiring, wise, and enthusiastically recommended for all readers.” —Library Journal

“A rich, satisfying novel about family members who make amends after a lifetime of estrangement.” —Minneapolis Star Tribune

“A reader can just about feel the cold spray of Lake Superior and taste the softness of the lefse…The best sections of Safe From the Sea are the stories Olaf tells, and the questions Noah asks, especially about the tragedy of the Ragnarøk. What we expect from a man vs nature story is not that man will win, but that man will be wise and valiant, and give it everything he has. Olaf’s account of the wreck lives up to the great tradition of adventure storytelling. His pain about the shipwreck is not only survivor’s angst, but also specific guilt about a lost shipmate that he has never shared before…Olaf’s last wish presents Noah with a watery physical challenge of his own, and gives the back end of the novel a touch of fairy tale, a la late John Cheever.” —Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

“A finely crafted first novel…Give this book to readers of David Guterson and Robert Olmstead, who will be captured by the themes of approaching death and the pain and solace provided by nature.” —Booklist

“A lyric story of familial strife and reconciliation…Geye excels at capturing the importance of life’s seemingly small moments and at cataloging their beauty…Geye shows how relationships—however flawed the participants—can be salvaged and strengthened when people strive to make things work through understanding and the search for and sharing of the truth.” —ForeWord

“Geye is a skilled and subtle observer. Throughout the book, readers are given an affectionate and perceptive view of roughhewn northern Minnesota, not only its Walden-esque lakes and forests, but also its thrifty and honest people…He also excels in creating characters who are ordinary and exceptional at the same time—high praise for any author. The characters in Safe from the Sea are maturely-crafted; there are no heroes or villains in the book, just good people working through tough issues with grace and good humor.” —New York Journal of Books