Sea Bean

Author: Huband, Sally

Shetland Islands

Published on 6 April 2023 by Cornerstone (Hutchinson Heinemann) in the United Kingdom.

LONGLISTED FOR THE WAINWRIGHT NATURE WRITING PRIZE 2023'Modern, revealing and restorative, a coastal treasure' Amy Liptrot'Like its talismanic title, Huband's voice is distinct and singular. A gorgeous reckoning with the sea, islands and mythology' Sinead Gleeson'A wild melding of body and landscape. A deep, immersive, storm-tossed read' Helen Jukes'As vital and complex as the oceans themseleves' Joanna PocockA powerful journey of sea and self, trial and hope on the islands of ShetlandWhen a seed falls from a vine in the tropics and is carried by ocean currents across the Atlantic to the shores of Western Europe - it is known as a sea bean. It is still considered lucky to find a sea bean on the shore, they have been used as magical charms for more than a thousand years.

Sally's search for a sea bean begins not long after she moves to the windswept archipelago of Shetland. When pregnancy triggers a chronic illness and forces her to slow down, Sally takes to the beaches. There she discovers treasure freighted with story and curiosities that connect her to the world.

The wild shores of Shetland offer glimpses of orcas swimming through the ocean at dusk, the chance to release a tiny storm petrel into the dark of the night and a path of hope. This beachcombing path takes her from the Faroese archipelago to the Orkney islands, and the Dutch island of Texel. It opens a world of ancient myths, fragile ecology, and deep human history. It brings her to herself again.

Sea Bean is a message in a bottle. An interconnection of our oceans, communities and ourselves, and an invitation to feel belonging when we are adrift.