The Cold Cold Sea

At the start of this poignant psychological thriller from Huber (The Paradise Trees), Maggie and Colin Granger are enjoying a perfect day at a Cornwall beach, until their three-year-old daughter, Olivia, disappears. Did someone take Olivia, or did she wander into the sea? Meanwhile, in a nearby town, Jennifer Marshall prepares to send her daughter, Hailey, to primary school, while her husband, Phillip, cares for his dying grandmother in London. Hailey’s strange behavior, however, is putting a damper on the joy Jennifer feels at being pregnant with twins. It’s soon obvious why Hailey is acting so oddly, and Jennifer’s behavior becomes equally disturbing. The search for Olivia takes a heavy toll on Maggie and Colin’s marriage, but the main focus is on the slow-moving train wreck that’s Hailey’s story, which eventually intersects with Olivia’s. Though the narrative lacks suspense, Huber effectively explores grief, mental illness, and the destruction that such illness so often leaves in its wake. (Aug.)