First published 2003
Linda Greenlaw trades her swordfishing boat for the familiar shores of Isle au Haut, a remote Maine island where seventy people weather the seasons together. Thirty of those residents happen to be her own family. Greenlaw finds herself caught between the comfort of returning home and the complexities that small island life brings. She navigates everything from rekindling old relationships to mastering the perfect lobster preparation. The island's close-knit community reveals its characters in full detail, but darker currents run beneath the surface. A devastating boating accident shakes everyone, while an old feud with neighboring islanders continues to simmer after a full century. Greenlaw approaches each challenge with her characteristic directness and humor, discovering that coming home means facing both the warmth of family connections and the weight of shared history.
Genres: literary-fiction, family-life, memoir, biography-memoir
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-of-age, fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Isle Au Haut, Maine
Period: 21st Century
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