The Sea Child by Linda Wilgus follows poor widow Isabel newly arrived back in her home village of Helford in Cornwall three years after the death of her husband at the Battle of Trafalgar. Isabel is no stranger to the sea–her late husband was a midshipman, her adopted father was an admiral, and most intriguingly, Isabel herself was found at age four doused in sea water with no knowledge of her past and her real family. As such, Isabel’s return to Helford is marked by the villagers referring to her as “the Sea Bucca‘s daughter.” The people of Cornwall are not cruel to Isabel, however, as they claim her as one of their own and lovingly bestow the superstition of Bucca lineage upon her. Isabel herself does not know her origin, and while at times she views the people of Helford as superstitious, she also cannot deny the strong, almost bodily call of the sea and her mysterious aptitude for swimming.
Barely making ends meet in her small cottage, Isabel is shocked one night to discover a group of smugglers have come into her home to care for their wounded captain Jack of the Rapide. While spurning the insidious affections of the local revenue agent Lt. Sowerby, Isabel secretly cares of Jack and forms a fast, deep connection with him. As she is inexplicably drawn to the sea, so is she to Jack–and he to her. Isabel is soon drawn into his smuggling operation to fulfill her dream of going to sea aboard Jack’s ship. What I really enjoyed about both of these characters was their sense of individual freedoms while at the same time respecting each other’s individual freedoms and choices within the context of the historical period.
I did not expect The Sea Child to grab me so fiercely and not let go. It is no exaggeration to say I devoured this book. The Sea Child is one of those books you can’t help but read too fast, while at the same time wishing it won’t end and trying to savour it whilst reading as fast as possible to find out what happens next. It’s one of those books that makes you day dream about the main characters even when you’re not actively reading. The Regency period is painted vividly and enhanced by the sprinkling of Cornish folklore and magical realism. It’s been a while since I’ve come across one of these unicorn books, and I really cannot sing enough praises of The Sea Child. Wilgus’s debut is a mix of Poldark meets the writing of Laura Shepherd-Robinson or Susan Stokes-Chapman. I would also throw in Frenchman’s Creek and Jamaica Inn by Daphne Du Maurier, but I haven’t actually read those titles so I can’t speak to their similarities beyond locations.
I will follow this author with anticipation for her next work, and I’ll be crossing my fingers that it’s a second installment of the story of Isabel and Jack!
The Sea Child will be released January 20, 2026, Thank you to @ballantinebooks @randomhouse @lindajwilgus for the ARC!
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