The past is a vast ocean of bittersweet secrets and forgotten truths in this deeply emotional story. Raised mostly on a sailboat, Annie was always tuned to the rhythms of the ocean, only taking to the shore to spend summers on Vancouver Island with her grandmother Ruth and lifelong friend Evan. But that was before a devastating tsunami swept through the Pacific Northwest. With her parents lost at sea and their community decimated, she meets a mysterious young man named Walker when he washes up naked on the beach. The strange connection Annie has to Walker feels perfectly in line with the highly atmospheric vibe of Kelly Anderson’s lyrical, evocative writing. As the story unfolds, you can sense how Evan’s steady presence grounds Annie on land, while Walker’s mystical strangeness pulls her toward the ocean, where buried truths about her past seem to be rising to the surface. This is a gorgeously complex story of love, grief, and discovering who you are.

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