Originally Published: March 31, 2015

By: Sara Gruen

A story about a man trying to impress his father and a woman trying to find herself, At the Water’s Edge is repetitive and a bore to read.

When Ellis gets cut off financially by his father and cannot serve in World War II, he decided the only way to prove himself is to hunt down the Loch Ness Monster. He whisks Maddie to Scotland and leaves her alone day after day. Maddie, horrified by this decision, now has to make a new life for herself.

Maddie is passive in her own life and stands by while Ellis tears her down. It’s not until the final chapters that Maddie takes a stand for herself and by that point, you’ve spent over 250 pages with barely anything happening.

Final say: This can be lost with the monster. ★★☆☆☆