Slanting Towards the Sea by Lidija Hailje
I was super excited to read this debut novel. I understand they can be very hit or miss, but I truly had a very good feeling about this one. Unfortunately, it did fall a little short. The scenery in this book, however, was unmatched. Taking place on the beautiful Croatian coast, we follow Ivana on a life-altering journey as she discovers who she is and where she fits in. Spanning twenty years and one life-altering summer in Croatia. Ivana has to learn to pick herself and what makes her happy, rather than catering to everyone else around her.
What to expect
Love triangles
Financial instability
Family struggles
Love quarreling
Generational trauma
Illness and death
When I first noticed this book on the debut list, the cover was instant YES PLEASE! It reminded me of beautiful watercolors of the Mediterranean sea. Something so nostalgic about summer breezes and young love. I had to give it a fair shot. I rated this book a generous three stars. I went back and forth on debating on spending the 14$ for the Kindle edition and having read it, I would just wait for the hype to die down and also the price. This book was nothing special. I can’t tell if Ivana is the most selfish person to exist, or if she genuinely doesn’t know what she’s doing to herself and the people around her. Her version of self-care and putting herself first is hurting the ones that truly care about her, and then telling them to fu*k off right after it.
Ivana lives with her disabled, elderly father, who needs almost around-the-clock care. Ivana has explained his frustrations with him; from going bankrupt but still holding hope on opening a hotel, to his parenting style when she was a child. In more ways the one Ivana is very similar to her father in his stubbornness and selfishness. She married young to a man named Vlaho. They met at university, and it was love at first sight. Ivana, wanting to live up to the status quo, wanted to have a family. Now, here is where it gets confusing. Ivana was living for other people. It went unsaid that she only wanted children to appease her parents and husband. Honestly, I think if it were up to Ivana without exterior influences, she wouldn’t mind not having a family. Ivana had big plans; she wanted to study the process of olive oil and break ground on new olive oil production techniques. However, she decided to stay at home and cater to Vlaho, start a family, and live in infinite bliss. Until one day, she got news of a devastating secret that changed her life forever. After this news, she decided that it was best to part ways with her husband of eight years, and went full-time caregiver for her father, while working a mundane job at the stationery shop.
Ivana went through a series of very confusing and difficult times that most of us have to go through. However, I think it showed the realistic and painfully selfish choices that humans make. Slanting Towards The Sea takes us on an up and down journey through Ivana’s life as a young divorced adult, navigating her way through financial hardships, family struggles, love triangles, and, with all this, making a name for yourself in the young country of Croatia.
