Sometimes by the Sea is a collection of three loosely-connected short stories from the mind of award-winning author/musician/visual artist Jim White. In the Georgia resident's tales of magical realism, characters are drawn to the ocean where they find varying levels of redemption and loss. White, a former professional surfer, knows this realm well and uses a sure hand to portray the seashore and its inhabitants.
Like his fellow Georgian Flannery O'Connor, White's characters are often a little out of sync with their surroundings, perhaps a little out of time, like the titular Old Woman who doesn't understand why there is salt in the ocean's water. Or the Young Woman whose quest to know Jesus is sidetracked by "lovermen" and man-eating sea creatures.
Despite their often fantastical elements, White's straightforward story-telling keeps these tales on track and provides an empathic approach to their characters. As author Richard Grant puts it, White "wields prose in these marvelous short stories just as deftly and surprisingly as he wields song lyrics in his day job."