First published 1931
Dionis Coffyn lives on Nantucket island where Quaker customs shape daily life. Her mother Lydia maintains a rigid exterior while her heart aches each time Captain Tom sails away on whaling voyages. Dencey puzzles her mother with her rebellious spirit. In a moment of fury, she hurls a rock that injures the town's outcast, an act that violates everything her peaceful community believes. This violent outburst forces Dencey to confront the gap between Quaker ideals and human nature. As she matures, she must navigate the tensions between her own desires and social expectations. The simple surface of island life conceals complicated relationships and moral struggles. Dencey transforms from an impulsive child into a young woman who understands how love can break through social divisions and religious rules. Her journey reveals how friendship and compassion can triumph over prejudice and rigid thinking.
Genres: literary-fiction, american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, american, 19th-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-of-age, found-family, social-expectations
Setting: Nantucket
Period: 19th-Century
314 pages · Hardcover · Doubleday