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All at Sea
- Narrated by: Decca Aitkenhead
- Length: 7 hrs and 8 mins
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All at Sea
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Summary
Shortlisted for the 2017 PEN Ackerley Prize
‘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 for ever.
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 met a decade earlier, they became 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.
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Critic reviews
‘If I read a sadder, truer, wiser chapter in a book this year I will count myself fortunate … Aitkenhead’s loss was our gain’ The Times
‘An exemplary memoir … However magnificent and powerful the book, you know it pales in comparison with the loss’ Sunday Times
‘This book is impossible to forget … It reminds one that grief is about transformation, the loss of old moorings, a new permission to put the heart first- a sea change’ Observer
‘Astonishing…. Aitkenhead has produced a work of art’ Evening Standard
‘An extraordinary memoir, a beautifully written account of life, love and what is left of both after tragedy …Utterly heart-breaking but it’s also a brave and honest account of grief and its aftermath that will stay with you long after you finish the last page’ Daily Express
‘Finely observed, emotionally truthful and beautifully written, her memoir is testament to the extraordinary power of love that doesn’t vanish when life of the beloved ends, but endures as long as memory itself’ Mail on Sunday
‘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. 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
‘Anyone who has loved, lost or grieved – that's all of us – should read it.’ Alastair Campbell
‘A remarkable story of sudden tragedy and grief, of love and resilience’ Arianna Huffington
‘Beautiful’ Sunday Times
What listeners say about All at Sea
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Marcus
- 08-06-16
captivating.
1st audio book I've listened to and I was captivated from start to finish. not only is Aitkenhead an extraordinarily brilliant writer but her tone and delivery of narration totally brought this heartbreaking story to life. A phenomenal book by any standards.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Alice Nutter
- 11-06-24
The honesty
Talking about the death of her husband and the effect on her and her children’s lives, one of the truest explorations of grief taking away our maps. And against all the odds, I found myself laughing, beautifully written.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 21-08-19
Incredible
I had first of this book having listened to Decca on the Grief Works podcast with Julia Samuel and was blown away by how raw and honest she was. This made me laugh, cry and feel her emotion on every level. A tragic tale told with wonderful courage and detail. Brilliant.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lisa Andrews
- 24-06-16
Cathartic
Decca's ability to translate feelings into words makes all at sea a wonderful book. I have never heard the journey of loss and grief so insightfully told. If you have experienced the loss of a partner yourself you will relate to so many feelings and situations and realise you are after all not that strange
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Not a Londoner
- 03-10-18
Beautifully read memoir
I’ve always liked Decca Aitkenhead as a writer and journalist and was shocked to read about the tragic death of her partner.
This memoir had me gripped from the beginning, it is narrated by Decca herself and you can feel the pain and sadness in her voice, yet she deftly manages to interweave jokes, funny anecdotes and humour.
The descriptions of navigating dinner parties as a single widow and parenting two young boys alone are particularly poignant. It is one of the best memoirs I’ve come across and I know her words will stay with me for a long time.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Louise Cave
- 25-05-21
honest true account
I started this book not having read what it was about. It was in my wishlist and I couldn't remember why. The front cover looked calm and I had just lost my Grandfather and thought a book about the sea can't be too hard hitting. I was so wrong. However although a tragic reminder of the pain of grief and loss it speaks so true of everyday life that is truly beautiful. I am sure Decca's children Jake and Joe will be proud to read this book one day.
Well done for not glorifying and being honest with emotions and inner monologues.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- MAXINE PARK
- 09-08-18
Feel let down by this one
I read the reviews and although not my usual read I thought I would give it a go but I gave up on it. Granted it was a tragic loss for her but this book is all me me me, she came across as very self centred. I wish her well but would not recommend this.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Vicky
- 22-05-16
Surprisingly bad
I so wanted to love this book, when I first saw it in a bookshop in my town I pored over it and resolved to read it as it sounded a very moving tale. Then when I saw it on audible I decided to listen instead.
The true story is incredibly sad and I feel so uncharitable for not having enjoyed this book but I really didn't. I found the narrator - who is also the author - to have a very grating voice with a lot of emphasis on words that didn't seem to need stress on them, and as a result I was soon fairly fed up. I wished they had chosen a professional actor to read the book.
However I persevered to the end because I did want to know the outcome and find out what happened so it was compelling in that sense. I feel a huge amount of compassion for the plight of this poor woman and her kids, and yet I found so much of the book to be embarrassingly concerned with what people might think of her, or trying to defensively paint a portrait of their lives before or after the key event that would portray them all in a positive light! Ultimately while I wanted to get involved and care, and although I did find parts of the book moving, this was very hard work to listen to mainly because the author didn't come across as a particularly nice person. I was puzzled because of the fact that although dealing with grief and being shell shocked by everything, she didn't speak much about missing her husband after he died or of longing for him as I felt sure she would. A lot of the book focuses on outer descriptions of actions or conversations, but what went on in her head and heart is somewhat absent and this left me feeling odd and unsettled, and as though I hadn't had the window into someone's thoughts after a loss that I was expecting.
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2 people found this helpful