Seahorses Are Real is a powerful debut novel of love and damage. Zillah Bethell tells the haunting tale of a relationship warped by depression, at once tender and destructive, where violence is not only perpetrated by men and love is not necessarily enough. Marly is a young woman struggling to deal with her emotions and depression in a small, grey town. She longs to be anywhere else, retreating into daytime tv and her idyllic childhood dream-world of horses and white cottages by the sea. For her devoted fiancee David, this means a life of hard work, supporting the love of his life financially and emotionally. But as Marly begins to find her feet in reality and hope for a brighter future, time may be running out for David.