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All at Sea cover art

All at Sea

By: Decca Aitkenhead
Narrated by: Decca Aitkenhead
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Publisher's Summary

The thing to remember about this story is that every word is true. If I never told it to a soul, and this book did not exist, it would not cease to be true. I don't mind at all if you forget this. The important thing is that I don't.

On a hot, still morning on a beautiful beach in Jamaica, Decca Aitkenhead's life changed forever. Her four-year-old boy was paddling peacefully at the water's edge when a wave pulled him out to sea. Her partner, Tony, swam out and saved their son's life - then drowned before her eyes.

When Decca and Tony first had met a decade earlier, they'd become the most improbable couple in London. She was an award-winning Guardian journalist, famous for interviewing leading politicians. He was a dreadlocked criminal with a history of drug dealing and violence. No one thought the romance would last, but it did. Until the tide swept Tony away, plunging Decca into the dark chasm of random tragedy.

Exploring race and redemption, privilege and prejudice, All at Sea is a remarkable story of love and loss, of how one couple changed each other's lives and of what a sudden death can do to the people who survive.

©2016 Decca Aitkenhead (P)2016 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Critic Reviews

"A story of absolute heartbreak, but also a story of unbelievable courage." (Davina McCall)
"An entrancing love story; a horrifying death story; a book about class, family, growing up, taking risks and learning how to be strong. This is a memoir like no other. Read it once, and it will be inside your head forever." (Andrew Marr)
"If you buy just one book this year, make it this one. I have never read anything like it and wished it would never end." (Jennifer Saunders)
"A brave book about emotional truth. It brought a tear to my eye, and will be deeply empowering for those who read it." (Tanya Byron)
"A sad, sad story of a remarkable relationship, beautifully told. Huge universal themes such as love, loss and grief are conveyed in intimate detail and with searing honesty. Anyone who has loved, lost or grieved - that's all of us - should read it." (Alastair Campbell)
"A beautiful and painful guidebook through the taboo subject of death. Decca made me miss someone I've never met and, for today at least, savour those I love." (Russell Brand)
"A remarkable story of sudden tragedy and grief, of love and resilience." (Arianna Huffington)
"All at Sea grabs you from the first three lines and masterfully pulls you into an ocean of startling and redemptive grief. A surprising love story, searingly honest, a book of family, loss, death and ultimately life. A triumphant tour de force." (Eve Ensler)
"Unbearably moving and almost brutally compelling." (Adrian Chiles)

What listeners say about All at Sea

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The narrator was sooo slow and painful .
Did not get past first chapter. Would not recommend

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Enjoyable

I found this to be an enjoyable book which was well written and entertaining throughout. The narration well done.

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.