You Don't Have To Be Alone

Book Discussion

In Jeremy Page's Sea Change, Guy decides that after the death of his daughter it's just going to be him. Yes, he and Judy try for awhile but they don't make it. Guy retreats to the seclusion of his boat and his journal.

Guy is not really lonely because he has the people in his journal. They are his other life. He writes in his journals in the evenings. They fill in the gaps until it begins to feel to him that the other parts of the day are the true gaps and his journal is where he lives.

alone water

Credit: Alejandra Mavroski

When Guy meets Marta and his daughter he discovers they are like him, at least in some ways. They too have taken to the sea due to grief but unlike him they turn to each other and take strength from one another. He feels a connection to them but the pull of his journal and that other life is stronger. Still he wonders, does he really need to be alone.

"He has a simple realization -- that he doesn't have to face things entirely by himself. There are people who are willing to share your burden, share it with all their heart, for every breath, every day, for as long as they live. If you are lucky enough to find someone like that, then you are blessed, and right now, Guy feels blessed." p. 270

Do you feel you need to be alone? Or are you able to reach out to others?


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