Watch Over Me – Daniela Sacerdoti

Watch Over Me
Daniela Sacerdoti

Eilidh Lawson’s life has just been turned upside down. Her marriage is ending and she’s lost her much longed-for baby. Mentally and physically exhausted, she’s not sure what to do but feels oddly compelled to return to Glen Avich, a small village in the Scottish Highlands, where her family has lived for generations. Here, she meets her best friend from childhood, Jamie McAnena, who is raising his daughter alone.

Following the death of his mother, Elizabeth, Jamie has resigned himself to being a family of two, closing himself off and devoting his life to his daughter, Maisie. What none of them can know is that it is Elizabeth who has called Eilidh back to Glen Avich. Though dead for three years, she has not been able to leave Jamie behind in his lost and lonely state. Now, she starts working behind the scenes for Jamie and Eilidh to get close again, but both are scared of repeating the past and Elizabeth’s influence can only reach so far.

An ethereal tale narrated from several different perspectives, Watch Over Me is a beautifully written debut novel. It is a poignant yet subtle story about letting go and moving on – with a little bit of help from beyond the grave.

I was immediately drawn to this book due to the setting in the Highlands. Having spent many a happy summer holiday in a village on the West coast of Scotland, I can identify with Eilidh’s desire to run away to this beautiful part of the world. Throughout Watch Over Me the village of Glen Avich is almost presented as a character in itself; the descriptions of the landscape and the memories evoked are as powerful as any of the other characterisations, immediately appealing to anyone who has ever loved a place as Eilidh does.

Essentially this is a story of rebirth and repair, and the blossoming of a relationship that has been a long time in the making. Following a miscarriage and the subsequent demise of her marriage, Eilidh is drawn to the one place that can fix her; a place where she instantly feels at peace and happier than she has been in years. It is as if this is where she was meant to be all along. The rekindling of an old friendship with Jamie – someone who has also been emotionally damaged – begins a new stage in Eilidh’s life.

At first glance it is a story of great sadness, but more powerfully it is a story of reawakening and hope: the most powerful themes of the novel.

There is a great mix of characters explored by Sacerdoti, adding extra depth to the central love story. Through the different people Sacerdoti explores love and loss (in its different forms) and the idea of people being trapped by their situations: social expectations, life regrets, fear, loneliness, grief, sorrow and the desire to protect one’s family are issues that are all touched on. Elizabeth’s subtle influencing and guiding of Eilidh and Jamie’s relationship, even after her death, lends an ethereal feeling to the story and somehow makes it all the touching.

This is the perfect book for anyone who likes a romantic novel with a little bit more depth and poignancy. The writing is fresh and engaging and the story left me with an overwhelming feeling of warmth and positivity.

Thanks to Janne at Black & White Publishing for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: ★★★★★