THE Sea Sisters appear to be very different – Katie is the older, responsible and organised one while Mia is the younger wild child.

Mia drops everything and goes travelling around the world seemingly impulsively with her best friend Finn while Katie continues as a highflying recruitment consultant with a charming fiancée, Ed.

Then Mia is found dead in Bali – it is thought she has committed suicide but it is not clear why. Katie abandons her old life to read Mia’s travel journal and recreate her last steps.

Memories and the present-day blur as the landscape shifts between London, Cornwall, Australia and Bali and explosive secrets are uncovered.

The rebellious/conservative sister dynamic may seem stereotypical at first but what sets The Sea Sisters apart is its exploration of the darker elements of human relationships: jealousy, guilt and grief.

Lucy Clarke's debut also has that vital quality which makes you abandon all other activities so you can carry on reading it.

Her deft use of language makes the novel a pleasure to read and imbues the more poignant plot elements with a light touch.

The sea symbol gives the novel a dreamy quality and the delicious descriptions of locations will make you nostalgic for places you have never been.

The characterisation is sensitively done and the sisters especially resonate with energy and emotion.

It is particularly surprising Clarke is not a sister herself given the way she brings to life the squabbling and sentimentality that comes with being a sibling.

This is a beach book in many senses of the phrase and provides ideal holiday reading but one thing is for certain: its characters will stay with you far longer than the tan.

The Sea Sisters by Lucy Clarke is published by HarperCollins and costs £7.99.