The Gulf of Lions

 

The Gulf of Lions by Caitlin Shetterly

Fiction

2026

Finished on August 1, 2026

Rating: 3/5 (Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

From the acclaimed author of Pete and Alice in Maine, comes a standalone and evocative sequel about a mother who, recovering from the trauma of breast cancer and a mastectomy, takes a once-in-a-lifetime trip across France with her two daughters, determined to fully live. There, she finds herself newly awakened by beauty and desire but when the trip takes a turn for the worst, she must decide between a life of pleasure or the deep tethering of family.

Reconciling with her husband after a betrayal and recovering from a yearlong battle with breast cancer, Alice longs for an escape from the trials of everyday life. When the opportunity arises for a once-in-a-lifetime camping trip across France, she packs up her daughters, hoping it’s the new start she so desperately needs.

Alice, teenage Sophie, and young Iris begin their odyssey in the French Alps, entering a foreign world they did not know existed: beautiful people, luscious food, and sensual temptations. It’s a freeing experience—exploring the countryside, sleeping beneath the stars, reveling in the sights and scents of nature. For the first time since her diagnosis, Alice starts to feel alive, less afraid of dying, and less angry about her husband's affair.

But as the family continues south, traveling through Provence, where they camp on the Gulf of Lions, an area of the Mediterranean known for wild, roaring winds and purple fields of lavender, they start to unravel the yarn that binds them together. By the time they head to the charred Pyrenees, and then back across France to stay in a castle that sits on the confluence of two rivers, Alice worries that the trip might have been a disastrous and reckless mistake.

A beautiful meditation on womanhood, personhood, exploration, survival and sexual awakenings, The Gulf of Lions is a breathtaking and emotionally resonant story that plumbs the eternal question: What, in the end, will keep a family from falling apart?

I read Caitlin Shetterly's debut novel, Pete and Alice in Maine, earlier this year. I loved it, and couldn't wait to get my hands on The Gulf of Lions when I heard it was due out in May. I bought my copy and added it to my summer reading list, eager to see what was in store for Alice and her daughters as they made their way across France. 

I'm sad to say that this was a disappointing read. I didn't like any of the characters, especially Alice's two bratty daughters (who hadn't matured at all since the previous novel). I didn't care for Alice's poor choices while in France, either. The only redeeming quality of the book was the lush descriptions of setting and the food. Otherwise, I might not have finished reading the novel.