Many thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read this fabulous book by Sonja Yoerg. 5 glowing stars!
In the 1980s, the Vergennes family of parents Arthur and Maeve and their 9 children, live in a rural area of Chesapeake Bay Virginia. An old oyster boat was on the property when they bought it, and the family turned it into an imaginary destroyer called the USS Nepenthe. Envisioned as both playhouse and a way to teach the children discipline and responsibility, each of the children had strict roles to play daily on the ship. The oldest, Jude, had gotten into a huge fight with his dad 5 years ago and had left the family to live with an uncle. Verity, the next oldest, yearned to go off to college and start her life without all the responsibility of her siblings. But life for all of them didn't turn out as planned.
I had never read anything by this author before and only requested this book because of an instagram recommendation. After the first couple of chapters, I wasn't sure exactly what I was reading but as it went on, I absolutely fell in love with this book and its characters. The story is told from different points of view of some of the children and their mom, so we get to see the family dynamics from other perspectives. This story will break your heart and then put it back together again with hope and love. This is a must read novel available now!
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