First published 2018
Elisa Esposito works nights cleaning floors at Baltimore's Occam Aerospace Research Center in 1962. Born mute and orphaned young, she moves through her routine with little joy beyond her friendship with coworker Zelda and neighbor Giles. Everything changes when she discovers the facility's secret: an amphibious man captured from the Amazon for military experiments. The creature frightens her at first, but she sees intelligence in his eyes and grace in his movements. Through sign language, they begin to communicate. What starts as curiosity becomes affection, then love. Elisa finds purpose she never knew before. But Colonel Strickland, who hunted the creature through South American rivers, wants to cut him open for Cold War advantage before Soviet agents can steal him. Time runs short. Elisa decides to risk her safety and freedom to save the being she loves. With Zelda and Giles helping, she plans a daring rescue. Strickland grows suspicious. Russian operatives circle closer. Elisa must choose between the small, safe life she has always known and a love that could destroy her.
Genres: romance, historical-fiction, 20th-century, fantasy
Vibes: emotional, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Baltimore, Amazon, Occam Aerospace Research Center
Period: 1962
315 pages · Hardcover · Feiwel & Friends
Content warnings: violence