Habits of the Sea

 

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A man out of time. An island that shouldn’t exist. And a girl who spent decades trying to convince herself she imagined both.

Clay Lockhart is a fable. Except he’s real.

Ellie Mills has one brief encounter with Clay and his impossible island when she’s twelve years old. Then she spends years telling herself it never happened, that it was a dream, a story she made up. Her heart knows better. Decades later there’s another sighting of the mythical island, and Ellie realizes she has to find out the truth about the timeless man and the place that vanished.

This is a beautifully written novel about grief, healing, and love. It's atmospheric and lyric. It’s about choosing love and choosing your fate even when it seems impossible.

There’s also a warning tucked inside the fable and the love story, and it’s about caring for and respecting our world. As the decades pass, Ellie and Clay notice small changes in the seas. They don’t understand what those changes mean until danger arrives at their shore and they realize the world and the water they knew is already gone.

Carlotta Brentan’s narration is marvelous. It reminded me of Julia Whelan narrating The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, and since that’s my favorite audiobook of all time, that’s about the highest compliment I have to give.

Perfect for readers who love literary fiction, slow burning character driven stories, and impossible love stories. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you Simon Audio for the gifted listen. Habits of the Sea is out now. Grad a copy at Bookshop.org and help out an indie bookstore while you're at it.

If you enjoyed this review, you might be interested in Little Wild, another character driven love story with magical realism.

About the Author

Shea Ernshaw is a #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of The Wicked Deep, Winterwood, A Wilderness of Stairs, Long Live the Pumpkin Queen, and A History of Wild Places. Her books have been published in over twenty countries and repeatedly chosen as Indie Next Picks. She lives in a small mountain town in Oregon and is happiest when lost in a good book, lost in the woods, or writing her next novel. Follow Shea on Instagram or visit her webiste for more news and information about Shea and her books.