Description

In Love By The Water, Wake Shelley has spent much of his life finding refuge in books rather than venturing beyond his small seaside home. Raised by a fisherman father, this avid reader struggles with an anxious disposition and severe panic attacks that repeatedly cut short his attempts to explore the world. His room offers safety, but when the island’s local university relocates its campus to the cliffs overlooking his house, Wake resolves to make his strongest effort yet to attend, face his fears, and reclaim the experiences he has missed. Beyond his doorstep lies Lonely-Gale, a sleepy island of quiet beaches, proud residents, and eccentric traditions. It is also a place with a sordid history that many would rather keep buried. As Wake begins to build the life he has long wanted, he finds himself increasingly entangled in that hidden past—and in the schemes of people determined to exploit the very things that make the island special. Wake’s move beyond the comfort of his books becomes more than a personal struggle against fear. Discovering what awaits him on Lonely-Gale means confronting both the possibilities he has denied himself and the unsettling realities beneath the island’s familiar surface. For Wake, courage may not mean learning that there was never anything to fear, but finding the resolve to face what is truly there.