Book Review: The Watch House by Bernie Magill

Set in Rathlin Island, Northern Ireland, The Watch House is a love story but is also about the power of words to connect us and the power of suspicion to tear us apart.

It tells the story of Nuala Byrne whose family emigrated to Canada when she was a child leaving her back in Rathlin to look after her grandparents.  After they pass away she married the Island’s tailor but also gets landed with his busy-body sister Ginny who makes life hard for Nuala.

But life takes a different turn for Nuala when men including an Italian technician come onto the Island to test out Marconi’s new Morse-code technology and Nuala is sent by Ginny to cook for the men which later leads her to be a scribe for the code as the Italian Gabriel notices her talent and value.  This working relationship soon becomes a bit more and Nuala’s life is changed forever.

The central theme in this novel is communication with the introduction of the Morse-code, but communication also contributes to the downfall of Nuala and Gabriel in a twist that shows how information is power and that should that power end up in the wrong hands then it can lead to corruption.

The Watch House is a gripping novel with suspense and twists. The characters come alive in this book as you grow to love some and dislike others.  It is a book where you want to read on to find out what happens to the Island’s inhabitants but especially Nuala.

Rathlin Island itself is also made into a character of the book as the author uses the lighthouse and other landmarks to make her story come alive.