Finding Annie - A Book Review

Origin of pic

I've been stockpiling books with a sailing theme for a couple of years and have no idea what I have.  There isn't a cover to look at, it's just a name on the Kindle page.  

We're truly Cruising now, so it's time to read those hoarded books.  I chose the first one on the list, Finding Annie, by Michael Matthews.

I expected nothing.  I had no preconceived idea about what this book would hold.  Maybe thats the best way to read a book, just jump in and be taken.  The beginning of the book allowed me to go to a place where no one wants to go.  It took me to "the loss of a loved one". 

 I have this idea in my mind, that if I "live" through an event by reading about it, I will be better prepared to handle it should that same event happen to me in reality.  Kind of like it makes a wrinkle in my brain that I can access again in memory and find familiar comfort.  As a person who actively limits unpleasantness in my life, it is for this reason that I didn't just put the book down when it got unpleasant…

As a sailor, I welcomed the main character, Vic's finding solace in sailing.  Although small boats are not my thing, I identified with his appreciation of the simplicity and peace that comes with living on a boat.  While his reasons were far different from mine, I felt wise and all-knowing as I watched Vic find pleasure in the days at sea.

At Sea:  He took me to another feared place when he set out across the Pacific Ocean.  Although I have no active plans to cross an Ocean, it could happen some day, and I need those wrinkles.  Certainly, his crossing was uncommonly uneventful, but maybe it happens… until the event that changed Vic's life.

I won't tell you what happens, but it was at this point that I became impressed with the originality of the story.  So much so that it MUST be true!  From this point, there were times when I thought to myself, life just isn't like that and he obviously has no idea…  but as a story, it's nice to be taken along.  

The book becomes somewhat of a light romance towards the latter part, another unexpected turn for me.  In my high school days, I read a ton of Harlequin Romances and I would compare it to these as the improbability and the happy ending cliches were difficult to ignore.  But being written by a male, the perspective was the opposite of a Harlequin and there were no crushing love scenes to be endured.  

When I had finished the book, I found myself reading the dedications and "about the author" in search of confirmation that it could be true.. In the end, it was a light and pleasant page turner, short-but-sweet, and satisfyingly entertaining.  It was the perfect "first book" to ease me into my new Cruiser life.