"It's a hard thing to forgive those who wound us, but harder still to forgive the wounds we inflict upon ourselves."
The Wishing Tide has a story you would expect by looking at the cover. Lonesome-woman-whose-heavy-heart-has-her-grappling-with-the-tides-of-life and that sort of thing. I normally don't read this genre, a book clearly belonging to that of "women's literature".
But.
It's a rainy, humid Saturday of Labor Day weekend, and I find myself unexpectedly drawn in to the story of Lane; her affection for an apparently crazy old woman who sits on the beach; and Michael, the man who has come to Lane's Bed and Breakfast with more baggage than just his suitcase.
Their story is an intricately woven one, with plenty of grief for each of the characters involved. There are threads of wondering about one's past and second guessing one's choices. There are threads of having enough courage to go forward. But the best thread of all has to do with forgiveness. Without that, we are immobile.
Without forgiveness, the tide can carry us anywhere it wishes, for we have given up the rudder that guides us forward.
Praise for The Wishing Tide:
“Everything I love in a novel: a coastal setting so rich you can practically taste the salt in the air and feel the sand under foot, an old inn, and a deeply-felt and explored love story with a smart, relatable heroine and a handsome hero with a mysterious past. Atmospheric, suspenseful and very romantic, The Wishing Tide is elegant and haunting proof that secrets buried in the heart will always rise to the surface.”—Erika Marks, author of It Comes in Waves
“A captivating read about fighting for the life you want and daring to believe that happily-ever-after can exist outside of fairytales. Set on a desolate, storm-tossed North Carolina barrier island lush with family secrets, madness, and ghost stories, this lyrical novel will haunt you from the first page to the last.”—Barbara Claypole White award-winning author of The In-Between Hour
“Beautiful and haunting….Filled with wonderful descriptions of North Carolina’s Outer Banks, The Wishing Tide is a book about love and loss and finding your way forward. I could not read it fast enough!”—Anita Hughes, author of Lake Como
