Where Light Meets Water

By: Susan Paterson

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Paperback | 3 May 2023

At a Glance

Paperback
400 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
2.8 x 23.5 x 15.4

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An evocative novel of love and art, and one man’s journey to find his place in the world. Where Light Meets Water is a moving debut traversing nineteenth-century London, Melbourne and New Zealand’s rugged South Island.

Where the sailor ends the artist begins . . .

London, 1847: On shore leave while his ship is being repaired, sailor Thomas Rutherford is restless, waiting to return to sea. At twenty-eight years old, Tom knows nothing but life on tall ships and is determined to captain his own.

But Tom has a second passion: painting. And so he passes time with his paintbox and sketchbook... until he is struck by the discovery of a delicate glove laced with the unmistakable scent of turpentine. The owner is Catherine Ogilvie – captivating, headstrong and a talented artist in her own right. Intrigued by this singular woman, Tom finds himself swept into Catherine’s privileged yet stifling world.

As Tom and Catherine grow closer, Tom’s eyes are opened to a new way of life. But his ambitions remain and, when the sea calls to Tom, he must face an impossible choice.

In her stunning debut, Susan Paterson explores the power of art to transform a life and to connect us to others. Where Light Meets Water is a multi-stranded novel of love – of a man and a woman, of a sailor and the sea, and of an artist and his gift.

About the Author

Susan Paterson is a writer and editor from Aotearoa New Zealand. Her debut novel, Where Light Meets Water, was shortlisted in an earlier version for the 2019 Michael Gifkins Prize for an Unpublished Novel and written with the assistance of a Varuna Fellowship. Her poetry and short stories have appeared in various publications including Meanjin, Going Down Swinging, Etchings, Wet Ink and Poetry NZ. She lives in Naarm/Melbourne.

Industry Reviews

'A love story wrapped in a novel about painting and the sea, which, just like a painting, builds layer upon layer to create a satisfying whole. A stunning debut novel that is both lyrical and full of beauty. The shifting setting moves effortlessly around the Victorian globe, from Scotland to London, to Australia and ultimately to the bottom of New Zealand’s South Island. The combination of strong characters and the passions that both bind and separate them is masterfully done.'

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