The Coast by Eleanor Limprecht
The Coast, published in 2022 is historical fiction and the 4th book by Eleanor Limprecht. The author was born and raised in the US, Germany and Pakistan but now lives in Sydney.
It’s 1910 and we meet Alice a 9-year-old who is sent to the Coast Hospital in Little Bay, Sydney, a hospital which treats patients with infectious diseases, among them leprosy. The little girl is first told that she is visiting her mother, Clea who left when Alice was 2. But once there, Alice learns her mother is suffering from leprosy and that she has inherited the same disease.
In 1910 leprosy was considered a very contagious disease and lepers were stigmatised and locked away. Alice’s only contacts are her mother who she hardly knows, the other lepers, and the medical staff. Life at the hospital is grim. Alice must come to term with her isolation and with the bleak prospect that she might never leave. Nevertheless, Alice finds joy in her friendship with the wonderful doctor Stegner who is devoted to his patients.
A few years later, a new patient joins the hospital. His name is Jack, and he is a Yuwaalaraay man who was wounded during World War 1 and then diagnosed with leprosy. For Alice, Jack is a window to the world, and she finds comfort in his stories. It’s a way for her to cope with her isolated life.
While reading this book, I couldn’t help thinking about the COVID pandemic and how infectious diseases still create a lot of fear.
I love this book for many reasons. Eleanor is a gifted writer. The characters, Alice, her mother, Doctor Stegner, the other patients are wonderfully drawn. I felt like I knew them, and I could feel their pain and hardship.
The author describes the harsh landscape that surrounds the hospital in a very vivid way.
It’s obvious that Eleanor researches her subject very well. The Coast Hospital was a real hospital and the first public hospital in Sydney. It closed in 2003.
The Coast is a story of love, heartbreaks, resilience, compassion, and friendship. It is beautifully written, and I highly recommend this book.
Find The Coast by Eleanor Limprecht in the library catalogue
Celine
Format
Books
Reactions
