Beyond the Shallow Bank: A woman searches for herself as she fights for equality amidst rumors of Celtic mythology

At the turn of the 20th century, Margaret Talbot’s life was idyllic. She is a recognized magazine illustrator and aspiring painter. Her husband, John, supports her careers in these male dominated fields for which Margaret had fought harassment, blocked opportunities and sexual assault.

But when she suffers a stillbirth, in which she nearly dies with her baby, her world shatters. John withdraws all emotional and physical contact. She wants to stop illustrating and just paint in oils. John forbids it. She defies him and paints in secret, but she cannot express her vision on canvas and questions if she really is an artist.

The Talbots travel to a fishing village for an article. Margaret encounters many people. A man carries a funeral urn containing his wife’s ashes and speaks to it as it she was still live. An elderly woman becomes a mentor while another accuses Margaret of being a witch. One young woman skips and jumps and sings nonsense songs. Margaret fears this is a sign of a deep, childhood trauma, but some in the village say the woman is a selkie, a creature from Celtic mythology who lives on the land as a human and in the sea as a seal.

Through their influences and her own self-determination, Margaret strives to discover who she is and what she truly wants.

“Beyond the Shallow Bank contains descriptive passages of the sea which are wonderfully poetic. The writing in this book has both depth and psychological complexity, as well as humor, in the interactions of its large cast of village characters. Perhaps best of all, for the lifelong reader, it is a book to sink into, put down reluctantly, and wonder about long afterwards.”

Susan Haley

Author of Petitot and Getting Married in Buffalo Jump (The source of a TV Movie)

A portion of the profits from Beyond the Shallow Bank will be donated to women’s projects.