Sea Bean

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What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

A powerful journey of sea and self, trial and hope on the islands of Shetland

When a seed falls from a vine in the tropics and is carried by ocean currents across the Atlantic to the shores of Western Europe - it is known as a sea bean. It is still considered lucky to find a sea bean on the shore, they have been used as magical charms for more than a thousand years.

Sally's search for a sea bean begins not long after she moves to the windswept archipelago of Shetland. When pregnancy triggers a chronic illness and forces her to slow down, Sally takes to the beaches. There she discovers treasure freighted with story and curiosities that connect her to the world.

The wild shores of Shetland offer glimpses of orcas swimming through the ocean at dusk, the chance to release a tiny storm petrel into the dark of the night and a path of hope. This beachcombing path takes her from the Faroese archipelago to the Orkney islands, and the Dutch island of Texel. It opens a world of ancient myths, fragile ecology, and deep human history. It brings her to herself again.

Sea Bean is a message in a bottle. An interconnection of our oceans, communities and ourselves, and an invitation to feel belonging when we are adrift.

'Modern, revealing and restorative, a coastal treasure' Amy Liptrot
'Like its talismanic title, Huband's voice is distinct and singular. A gorgeous reckoning with the sea, islands and mythology' Sinéad Gleeson
'A wild melding of body and landscape. A deep, immersive, storm-tossed read' Helen Jukes

©2023 Sally Huband (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critics Review

  • SEA BEAN is a coastal treasure. Its hard-won attentiveness shows the wonder and vulnerability of our interconnected oceans, wildlife and people. In Sally’s writing, beachcombing – an old island pursuit – is modern, revealing and restorative. The next time I am at the shore I will have a deeper appreciation and curiosity

    Amy Liptrot

  • Like its talismanic title, Huband’s voice is distinct and singular. A gorgeous reckoning with the sea, islands and mythology

    Sinéad Gleeson

  • A wild melding of body and landscape. A deep, immersive, storm-tossed read

    Helen Jukes

  • A hymn to the vast watery depths of our planet, Sally explores the vital connections between humans and the creatures contained within and shaped by our precious seas. SEA BEAN is as vital and complex as the oceans themselves

    Joanna Pocock

  • A magical, moving, strange book

    Jon Day

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