Gabriel's Bay

Gabriel's Bay caught me from the minute I started reading it. 

It tells the story of an English guy Kerry Macfarlane who runs away from a wedding that wasn't and arrives in the coastal New Zealand community of Gabriel's Bay.

Gabriel's Bay may be a fictitious setting but I'm sure depicts many a typical small New Zealand community. 

I loved the characters of Gabriel's Bay written by New Zealander Catherine Robertson. There are a number. I wonder if the book could have had a character list at the start. I've seen it in other books and it has helped. But that aside, the development of each character was well done. Each chapter centres around one character and his or her take on what's happening in his or her life and the community. By the end of the book you get to know each character well.

I liked the community meetings held and the banter about various issues including the use of the apostrophe in the name Gabriel's Bay. There were some great descriptive pieces throughout the book about everyday life in this small community.

I loved this book but the fantastic storytelling through a dog's eyes in the first and last chapter made it for me. I'm quietly hoping there might be a sequel. In the meantime I'm looking forward to reading some more of Robertson's books.