First published 2019
Grace and Charles Phillips open their North Carolina mountain farm to hurricane evacuees fleeing the threatened coasts of Florida and South Carolina. The group includes their daughter Moira with her rescue dogs, equestrian Javier Angel de la Cruz, makeup artist Hannah McLain, horse breeder Gerda Klug and her daughter Elise, and island resident Cara Rutledge. Each person arrives with only the possessions they could pack in their vehicles. Strangers to everyone except the Phillips family, they must weather the storm together on the farm. During this intense week, old conflicts surface and relationships face severe tests. The evacuees confront personal issues they have avoided and tensions with each other. As the hurricane passes, they discover that their most valuable possessions were not the items they brought to safety. Instead, what matters most are the connections and insights they will carry forward when they return to rebuild their lives.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, strangers-to-friends
Setting: North Carolina, Florida, South Carolina
Period: Contemporary
348 pages · Hardcover · Gallery Books