Merridy, heroine of Nicholas Shakespeares The Secrets of the Sea , says during a youthful discussion of the origins of life: The sea. I could believe in that. Surviving in a world of bereavement, uncertain relationships and financial insecurity, Merridy does indeed put her faith in the sea. Fickle as the South Tasman Sea is at the best of times, it proves to be Merridys only certainty.