The Sea Lady (2007)

In Margaret Drabble's The Sea LadyAilsa Kelman and Humphrey Clark, both in their 60s, return separately to Ornemouth on the North Sea, where they met as children before crashing through a catastrophic marriage in 1960s London. Ailsa has become a celebrity feminist scholar, Humphrey a noted marine biologist. The occasion for their meeting is a university ceremony, where they both receive an honorary degree. As Ailsa and Humphrey each travel north, they revisit their respective pasts, resplendent with memories of their passions and the ever-present sea. Drabble is adept at lyric metaphor as well as social satire; in Lady, she manages to be both lavish and droll. A-