ShortBookandScribes #BookReview – An Ocean and a Day by Hannah Richell

An Ocean and a Day by Hannah Richell will be published by Bedford Square Publishers on 27th August 2026. My thanks to the publishers for the proof copy.

Hannah Richell was lost in writing her new novel when the outside world finally broke in to tell her that her husband, Matt, had been killed in a surfing accident. This is the story of the grief journey she travelled over the first two years of loss, but it is also an account of what happens beyond those early years, when time and distance have offered some perspective and healing.

Not just a love letter to her late husband, but a love letter to the country that stole her heart, to motherhood, and to the healing power of creative endeavours. More than anything, it’s a story of recovery and hope.

In July 2014, Hannah Richell’s husband Matt died in a surfing accident in Australia. Devastated and with two small children to take care for, she started to write down her feelings and experiences and An Ocean and a Day is Hannah’s memoir, not only of the years that followed and how she dealt with her overwhelming grief, but also of how she and Matt met and their life together before the accident.

An Ocean and a Day is an exquisitely written, honest and incredibly moving memoir. It’s a love story, the story of a marriage to a soulmate, of moving halfway across the world, having children and making a life there. From page 1 I was stunned by the beauty of the writing. I’ve read some of her fiction so I know how good a writer she is, but in this book Hannah Richell is so very eloquent on love and loss. The tears sprang to my eyes often as she tried to learn how to manage the effects of the sudden and shocking news, not only on herself but on her children too, whilst somehow navigating her way into a new and unwanted life without Matt.

This book is unflinching in its portrayal of the rawness of grief but it’s also inspirational in many ways, the bravery and strength of the author shining through from every page. I thought it was beautiful and profound.

Before becoming a published writer, Hannah Richell worked in the book publishing and film industries in London and Sydney. She is the author of six international bestsellers, including Secrets of the Tides, The Search Party and One Dark Night. Her work has been translated into twenty-one languages. Hannah is a dual citizen of Great Britain and Australia and currently lives near Bath the southwest of England. An Ocean and a Day is her first work of non-fiction.