RATING = 3.75 starsSusan Wiggs' The Ocean Between Us has been in my to-read pile for a while now, so I finally decided to try it out. I'm not a huge reader of chick lit and I've never read a book by this author before, so I wasn't really sure what to expect going into it. I was pretty surprised by how much I ended up liking it!The Ocean Between Us revolves around a few US Navy families, and the hardships that come with living that kind of lifestyle. Grace's husband Steve has been in the Navy ever since she's known him. He is gone half of the time, and she runs their family when he's not around. She's always loved his career, but now she is about to turn 40 and the kids are in high school, she realizes that their marriage is in trouble and wonders if she truly wants to be a military wife forever.I really enjoyed getting to learn about the Navy lifestyle, specifically in regards to the family that stays behind, as I don't know anybody in the military and I haven't read many books on the subject. I also liked the fact that this novel was a lot more about Grace re-discovering herself than it was about a romance — although, obviously, her relationship with her husband was an important part of the story.A big part of the book was the secret that came out in Grace and Steve's relationship at the beginning of the book. Although her mid-life crisis about her marriage wasn't completely about this secret, it was definitely the catalyst. This secret was the biggest problem that I had with The Ocean Between Us. I just thought that it's really weird that such a big secret came out in their marriage. I can't imagine marrying somebody without knowing everything about them. And, even if I did date them for only a short time before marrying, like Grace... they've been married for something like 20 years. And she's NEVER asked him about his previous relationships?! That makes no sense to me. I understand that maybe she didn't want to ask about his difficult childhood, but wouldn't it start to raise some red flags if he didn't talk at all about his life before he met her? I mean, eventually it would have to come up. She never asked him about how many sexual partners he had, or if he ever had an STD, or if he'd ever been engaged before, or how old was he when he first had sex? I literally can't comprehend being married to somebody for 20 years and not being able to answer all of those questions about him. It just seems incredibly unrealistic that they could've been married for that long without him having told her about this secret that is revealed.
Reading significant portions of one's own life in a book other than one's own autobiography is an intriguing experience. I was immediately transported back to those days when, like the three children in this book, I too could be called the Navy brat of an officer who was a pilot, an officer who also served on board ship that deployed from port and was gone for months at a time, leaving my mother in charge and me and my brother wishing my dad could have stayed home.Grace Bennett signed on willingly for her role as the wife of a Navy officer, but when she realizes she's given too much of herself, she also concludes she has to do something or she will have lost who she really is. But what she wants to do is complicated by a secret her husband has kept from her since before their twenty-year-long marriage. And Steve refuses to see why she has to make those changes or why they are so important to her. At the same time, her three children are going through the throes of being "the new kid" yet again, each of them managing that experience differently and with varying degrees of success. How they see their parents and the his naval service also influences their reaction to the secret Grace insists Steve share with their children--before he leaves on a 6-month-deployment on the carrier where he is second-in-command.When a crisis at sea places all of their relationships at risk in the most permanent sense, each of these beautifully crafted characters must come to terms with what it means to be who they are as individuals and as members of a Navy family.The book kept me up far too late because I simply could not put it down. A story that will resonate with the members of every military family and even with those who have never experienced the special requirements made of the spouses and children of the men and women who serve.
What do You think about The Ocean Between Us (2005)?
When I first started this book I thought to myself " Oh no! I am not going to like this as much as I had hoped to!" The first chapter had a lot of Navy jargon, and I was just not interested in it. But, I kept at it, and I am glad I did! Grace and Steve Bennett have been married nearly twenty years, and have three children in their teens. Steve is a career Navy Officer. Grace is a Navy wife, and mother. Grace has always been very supportive of Steve's career, moving herself and her family, whenever and wherever she had to. As she approaches her fortieth birthday, Grace realizes that while priding herself in being a supportive, loving wife and mother, she has lost herself. She decides that she needs to find herself. She wants to be more than just a Navy wife, and mother. She wants to be herself. She wants a place to call home. Steve doesn't exactly understand her feelings. So, there is some strain on the marriage. This was a really good book. I started it out thinking I wouldn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would, but actually ended up enjoying it more than I expected to!This is the first time I have read Susan Wiggs' work. I will definitely read more of her books!
—Marilu
Grace and Steve Bennett have been married for twenty years and they have three children in high school. Steve is a career Naval officer and his career has taken precedence over everything else in the family’s life. They’ve just moved to Washington state and Grace starts to feel the need to put down roots and begins to question all the sacrifices the family has made for Steve’s career.On the eve of Steve’s deployment, the family finds out some shocking news, so the relationship between Steve and Grace is strained as he leaves. Several things happen while Steve is gone that test their strength, their love and their resolve as a family.Deep down inside, The Ocean Between Us by Susan Wiggs is a love story. It’s not the story of a new romantic love, but rather the story of a deep, abiding love, and I thought it was just wonderful. The book was a quick read, because I found myself so engrossed in the story.I could relate to Grace so much. Even though Carl’s not in the service, we have moved a lot for his career, and I know what it’s like to pack up, leave friends behind and start all over in a new place. I know what it’s like to set aside your own needs to try to get your family settled and happy in a new place. I also know what it’s like to appreciate all the opportunities those moves afford you – meeting new people and experiencing new places and things. I totally got it when Grace wondered whether giving up her own dreams to pursue her husband’s had been too much of a sacrifice.I could also relate to the Bennetts’ three children, since my own father served in the Navy. My father retired when I was fairly young and he mostly had shore duty after I was born, but I do remember picking him up after a long deployment on an aircraft carrier, and wondering if I would recognize him when I saw him again. The children also made me think of Vance and the moves he’s had to make throughout his life.Overall, I liked The Ocean Between Us a lot and what I liked the most about it was the deep sense of love and respect the Bennetts had for each other and the way they learned to appreciate each other. I think Susan Wiggs did a fantastic job of portraying the life of a service family. This book was an emotional read for me – it made me cry several times, especially at the end. It serves as a reminder that when someone is enlisted in the military, their whole family serves and makes sacrifices.
—Kathy (Bermudaonion)
Mishap ~ unplanned or unexpected event causing personal injury, occupational illness, death, material loss or damage, or an explosion of any kind whether damage occurs or not. (Naval aviation safety program)POE : Point of Embarkation : to make a start, to engage, enlist or invest in an enterprise.The point of raising kids is to prepare them to be independent, so they can leave and find their own lives.The way you spend each day adds up to the way you spend your life.Don't let your work define you. If you do, it'll swallow you whole.Keeping things from the people you love can not be done without cost.You're never truly free of the past.The heart never stops hoping.Chances can slip away while you're looking for guarantees.
—Stephanie
