First published 2026
Patrick "Kick" Kilpatrick despises the ocean and always has. Now he floats alone in dark water after tumbling from a cruise ship during a family Thanksgiving vacation. He cannot recall if he fell or jumped after too many complimentary drinks. As waves crash over him, Kick battles to stay afloat breath by breath. The sea brings back memories of what led him here. His obnoxious brother-in-law pushes him to the breaking point. His demanding father rivals the Great Santini in harsh expectations. His mother abandoned the family years ago. The dysfunctional relatives and life's accumulated pain might have driven him to leap from the deck. But floating in the vast ocean, Kick discovers his will to survive runs deeper than his despair. He must find the strength to keep treading water and hold onto life itself.
Genres: literary-fiction, contemporary, psychological-thriller, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: unreliable-narrator
Setting: Cruise Ship
Period: Thanksgiving
208 pages · Hardcover · Gallery Books
Content warnings: depression, mental-illness, suicide