Beautiful Ugly

The Isle of Amberly is symbolic of hope and rebirth. Located in the Scottish Highlands, when Grady Green first arrives on the island, he regards “the surface of the sea” as “a shimmering pathway from the mainland to Amberly” (23). The island is situated under a “cloudless blue sky,” amidst “calm turquoise water,” and surrounded by “perfect white sand” (24). For Grady, this idyllic setting offers him the opportunity to restart his life in the wake of his wife Abby’s alleged disappearance. It appears like a beacon of hope and a promise of renewal. The island is physically separated from Grady’s past life in London, England, and offers him the chance to write without distraction and to rediscover himself in a new place.

At the same time, the Isle of Amberly is home to a community of women who regard the place as their refuge from the rest of the world, a place of rebirth for all of them. As Abby explains to Grady near the novel’s end: “The island treats everyone the same. The island takes what it needs from people and gives what it can. Amberly is home to women who were wronged by the world.