Sea creatures, by Susanna Daniel

A novel about a difficult choice.  Georgia Quillian met her husband, Graham at a sleep clinic in the Chicago area, but Graham’s sleep problems are far worse than the garden-variety  insomnia she has.  He has “parasomnia” which causes him to do very frightening things while asleep, so frightening that most of the time he fights off sleep for days, then literally chains himself to the wall so that he won’t be able to harm himself – or others—when he finally has to succumb to it.  Despite this handicap, he is a successful researcher, in demand enough that when they are forced to Illinois leave because of something he may have done while asleep, he is able to find a new job researching hurricanes in the Miami area, which is Georgia’s hometown.  While Graham is at work, Georgia stays in the decrepit houseboat they have bought and parked outside her parents’ home on the Coral Gables waterway and cares for their three-year-old son, Frankie.  Troublingly, Frankie has recently stopped speaking at all.  To bring in some needed income, and keep herself busy, she takes a job as an assistant to a reclusive artist who has isolated himself in his house in “Stiltsville,” a group of dwellings literally up on stilts in the middle of the ocean.  At first, her job is mainly ferrying groceries and supplies out to Charlie, but as time passes, she, Frankie and Charlie become close.  As the historic Hurricane Andrew bears down on the area, all of their lives will be changed forever.  An interesting and disturbing book.  311 pp.