They were such extraordinarily different people in the way they related to the world and other people. He was this awkward and lonely man before he met her, living quite a dislocated life, and she was this livewire and such a compelling, energetic, positive presence. [There’s] something about how a marriage like that works, then putting that marriage in this extreme scenario, to the ultimate test.
There was something I found to be universal about that. The best stories are ones that are highly specific and, in this case, very extreme, but that have some universal resonance. We all know what it is to hit crunch points or to have [to] face crises with a partner, or with a friend, or a significant other, and what that does to a relationship, what that does to you as an individual, what it reveals to you about yourself, but also about that other person.
― Sophie Elmhirst, Interview, Indies Introduce, American Booksellers Association
What booksellers are saying about Marriage at Sea
- I love a good marriage story and this one is fascinating. Maurice and Maralyn set out to sail the world, with very little in the way of radio equipment. They get quite far before their boat sinks and they are stranded with a life raft and a dinghy. The book does a wonderful job of conveying their quirks and relationship before and after the sinking. Their survival is absolutely fascinating.
― Christina Tabereaux, The Snail on the Wall in Huntsville, Alabama | BUY
- An engaging and really fun to read story of total misery! If I am ever shipwrecked, I really hope I have a Maralyn in my boat. Readers who enjoy non-fiction that reads like fiction will love this one.
― Elizabeth Goodrich, Thank You Books in Birmingham, Alabama | BUY
- What a remarkable tale of marine survival. The journalist/author skillfully recounts the real-life tale of Maurice and Maralyn Bailey. Their love, strength, and cooperation overcome the disparity and dangers they face. They abandon everything to take off in their yacht from the UK to New Zealand. One year into their journey, their boat was struck by a sperm whale, which caused it to sink. They are stranded on a raft in the middle of the Pacific Ocean for 118 days with very little provisions before finally being rescued 900 miles from where their boat sank. Maralyn’s perseverance, tenacity, and optimism were the main reasons they managed to survive. I can’t stop thinking about all they endured and how I may have handled it. Great read!
― Sandra Pinkney, Underground Books in Carrollton, Georgia | BUY
About Sophie Elmhirst
Sophie Elmhirst is an award-winning journalist who writes regularly for The Guardian Long Read and The Economist; her work has also appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, and Harper’s Bazaar, among other places. She’s the winner of the British Press Award for Feature Writer of the Year and a Foreign Press Award. She lives in London and A Marriage at Sea is her first book.
