The best novels that take place on the coast

Personalities collide during a Block Island summer. While I enjoyed all three point-of-view characters, I laughed out loud at Anthony the author’s “head-writing;” he described a scene in front of him as if he were writing a novel. Tongue just slightly in cheek, I felt like Moore was poking fun at the novelist’s eye—while simultaneously using it as shorthand to show us Anthony’s view.

The Islanders came out only a few months before my book. Though both novels can be considered “beach reads,” they are each much more than just a fluffy happily-ever-after throwaway. An island makes a very convenient metaphor; for our lucky characters, it is actually their whole world—even if it’s not forever, or as long as it lasts, but “just for the summer.”

The first time I read this book I was sailing through the Frisian Islands, where it takes place—though unlike its two main characters, I didn’t have to worry about German patrols or being arrested as a spy. A classic thriller, the remote and shifting islands of the area help to drive the plot. It could, quite simply, take place nowhere else. Great sailing scenes as well!

This mountain-based author has captured a world that fits right into the #coastalfiction genre. We feel in our bones the joy that two estranged sisters feel when wave-riding, and we see the mesmerizing changes in both ocean and sky as a storm approaches. Though the only boat rides are on ferries, the descriptions of both the California and New Zealand coastlines make me want to go back. The book is also a reminder of the subtle ways we recognize people: a distinctive walking style, seen across a street, can take us right back to childhood.

“Marsh is not swamp,” states the first sentence, somehow managing to imply the exact opposite for this ocean-salt-air-lover. Kya Clark, known to townsfolk as The Marsh Girl, could live nowhere else; this story could’ve only taken place exactly where it’s set.

The storyline wanders between past and present, but Owens trusts her readers—and I was never lost. The story did surprise—right up until the very last scene.

My only complaint is the cover image: the main character gets around in a derelict skiff with an ancient outboard, not a shiny canoe. But there’s as much going on below the surface as there is in plain sight: prejudice, development, education, love, and loss—all tucked away beneath a damn good story.

How could I resist a book with an impossible cliff-mounted house towering over a tropical sea? This fantasy is written for a younger audience but adults can definitely enjoy it—and learn something about differences and tolerance. Though there’s sometimes more description than needed, the writing is so consistently lovely that I just sat back and enjoyed the ride.