53 pages 1 hour read

Sandra Benitez

A Place Where the Sea Remembers

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1993

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Important Quotes

Quotation Mark Icon

“The sea remembers. So it is the sea retells.”


(Chapter 1, Page 2)

Remedios is The Healer, but a more appropriate title might be The Listener. Within the depths of the sea lie countless memories of countless lives, and only Remedios keeps those memories alive. In the tug-of-war between nature and progress, most of Santiago’s residents are too busy with work and family to heed the call of the sea. That job is for Remedios alone, and only by being attuned to nature’s voice can she (or anyone) hear the story.

Quotation Mark Icon

“What else could he say? He had made the offer, and it is a man’s duty to honor what he says. He did not question his own decisions, no matter how hastily they were made.”


(Chapter 2, Page 9)

When Candelario offers to take Marta’s child, he does so spontaneously, without consulting his wife. And once the decision has been made, he has no choice but to adhere to it. It speaks to a certain patriarchy in the culture that the husband can make decisions that affect both partners, and that those decisions, by virtue of his gender, must be permanent.

Quotation Mark Icon

“But that was all behind him. After his trip to the capital, his life would be changed.”


(Chapter 4, Page 28)

After Fulgencio the photographer takes a picture of a celebrity without his customary mask, he is convinced he can sell it for a large sum of money. Fulgencio’s fantasy embodies the aspirations of most of Santiago’s residents. Candelario dreams of a better job; Marta dreams of a new life in El Paso; Rafael and Esperanza dream of love.

Related Titles

By Sandra Benitez

SuperSummary Logo
Plot Summary
Sandra Benitez
Guide cover placeholder
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Sandra Benitez
Guide cover image