Jean, on a boat trip with her husband, daughter, brother-in-law and the BIL's girlfriend, is photographing Smuttynose, a desolate island where a gruesome double murder took place over a hundred years ago.

Jean gets suspicious of her husband's actions around this other woman while at the same time reading a detailed account of the crime.

In the midst of a horrific storm in both time periods, the ultimate betrayal is revealed.

Any fan of Anita Shreve. Any fan of a damn good story, for that matter.

Anita Shreve is not a wordy author. She doesn't need to be. Where her words are spare, there is meaning and heartache galore.

There are two stories told side by side in this novel. The author seamlessly takes us from one time period to the other and back again with barely a hitch.

Set it aside and have a good, long think about human nature.

There was so much sadness and heartbreak in these pages. There was also some passages that made me laugh, because the author can turn a phrase like no other.

Is prolific. Check out her works!

If you really want to sink into a story and lose yourself in it, this is a good one.

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Created Feb 16, 2026 at 5:46pm • Submit your own review...