Review
WL Rating
I picked this book up on a whim at the Proof Lab surf shop in Marin County, and two nights later I was finished. For Bay Area surfers, Far From Shore describes the well-known story of a gruesome shark attack at Stinson Beach in 1998. Interestingly, the story is told by the victim’s mother, Margaret Kathrein. Like Black Wave, Far From Shore deals with an ocean-based tragedy that ultimately unites a family. The maternal narrative gives the story an emotional depth that likely could never have been achieved if the victim or the victim’s father had penned the book. While at times the deluge of quotes and warm feelings can get a bit cloying, the basic pulse of the book is really good, managing to weave details of the attack with the outpouring of support from friends and strangers. While there is no doubt that this book is serious therapy for the author (at times you will feel like you’re listening to someone pouring out their heart from a therapist’s couch), the family works hard to demonstrate that in the ocean world, sometimes bad things just happen. Even when the press, in an effort to sensationalize the story, hounds the family to assign guilt to the the County, the Lifeguards, the hospital, or even the shark itself, the Kathrein clan takes the high-ground and makes it clear that there is no blame to cast when you venture into the water. For me, the best part of this book was the victim’s return to the surf a couple years later. Truly inspirational and worth a read. (December 2009)
Far From Shore - Margaret Kathrein
