Slanting Towards the Sea cover art

Slanting Towards the Sea

A Novel

Preview
Try Standard free
Select 1 audiobook a month from our entire collection.
Listen to your selected audiobooks as long as you're a member.
Auto-renews at $8.99/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Slanting Towards the Sea

By: Lidija Hilje
Narrated by: Imani Jade Powers
Try Standard free

Auto-renews at $8.99/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $27.88

Buy Now for $27.88

About this listen

National Bestseller * Dazed Best Book of the Year

Spanning twenty years and one life-altering summer in Croatia, Slanting Towards the Sea is at once an unforgettable love story and a powerful exploration of what it means to come of age in a country younger than oneself.

Ivona divorced the love of her life, Vlaho, a decade ago. They met as students at the turn of the millennium, when newly democratic Croatia was alive with hope and promise. But the challenges of living in a burgeoning country extinguished Ivona’s dreams one after another—and a devastating secret forced her to set him free.

Now Vlaho is remarried and a proud father of two, while Ivona’s life has taken a downward turn. In her thirties, she has returned to her childhood home to care for her ailing father. Bewildered by life’s disappointments, she finds solace in reconnecting with Vlaho and is welcomed into his family by his spirited wife, Marina. But when a new man enters Ivona’s life, the carefully cultivated dynamic between the three is disrupted, forcing a reckoning for all involved.

Set against the mesmerizing Croatian coastline, Slanting Towards the Sea is a cinematic, emotionally searing debut about the fragile nature of potential and the transcendence of love.
Coming of Age Family Life Genre Fiction Literary Fiction

Critic Reviews

"Imani Jade Powers brings a thoughtful tone to this layered story of love, regret, and quiet resilience, which follows a Croatian woman’s journey into midlife. Powers’s voice projects the melancholy of Ivona’s reflections as she returns to her hometown to care for aging family members and reunite with her childhood love and now ex-husband. Set against the evocative backdrop of Croatia’s changing coastline and political landscape, Powers’s narration supports both the personal and historical story arcs with care. As Ivona reconnects with her past and confronts difficult choices, Powers keeps the focus on emotional clarity and interiority, drawing the listener into a world shaped by longing, resilience, and shifting tides. The result is a steady, intimate listening experience. Powers mirrors Ivona’s emotional ebb and flow."
No reviews yet
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.