Emma Bigelow

Emma Merry Bigelow is the main protagonist of the story. She is married to Leo. Together, they share a daughter, Ruby. Emma works as an intertidal ecologist in Plymouth but lives in London with her family. Emma possesses a fanatical devotion to the sea. She narrates the majority of the chapters, either as Emma or under her previous name, Emily. Her chapters do not necessarily follow a chronological timeline, often happening before or after Leo’s events.

A complicated and nuanced character, Emma spends the novel processing the trauma and grief that she experiences after giving her son up for adoption. The first part of the novel highlights Emma’s attempts to bury her past, as opposed to coming to terms with it. Emma lies or omits important details throughout this part of the novel. The second part of the book uncovers the truth about Emma’s...