Recently released from prison, reclusive Blake Alvares returns to the only place she ever felt safe, the now derelict Maine town in which she harbored as a teen. Determined to conceal her secrets and losses, she soon finds herself dragged into others' lives when she rents a room from an ailing widow and takes a job on a boat owned by a notorious young lobsterman named Leland.
Leland Savard is nearly broke, trying to support himself and 9-year-old Quinnie as he wrestles with a dangerous family legacy. Despite all odds, he and Blake forge a successful working partnership, and as she establishes a timid friendship with widowed Nora, Blake glimpses what it might mean to truly belong. But when Leland's rash actions place her and Quinnie in peril, Blake feels forced to run again. On her quest for home, she must confront a daunting question: can she ever again trust in human connection?
- Winner: 2025 IPPY Silver Medal
- Honorable Mention: Eric Hoffer Book Award
- Finalist: Foreword Reviews Book of the Year Award
- Finalist: Next Generation Indie Book Award
- Finalist: National Indie Excellence Award
