Ebey’s End is a small town on an island off the Pacific coast, reachable only by ferry (assuming the gods are with you and it’s not a Tuesday). It’s a comfortable, familiar (but okay, fine, sometimes lonely) life for its resident grocer Anita Odom. That is, until fourteen-year-old July shows up on her doorstep.
Taking in the recently orphaned daughter of an estranged cousin had not been on Anita’s to-do list. In fact, it’s a terrible idea. Anita is ill-suited, ill-prepared, and absolutely certain the entire enterprise will end in disaster—for both of them.
From the moment she arrives, July seems to “know” what each customer at the Island Grocery needs. They’re small things: a housekeeping magazine slipped into old Mr. Daly’s basket or a coconut cream pie pressed into the hands of Pastor Chet. But one by one, these gifts start to change the lives of nearly everyone in town in ways much larger than they—or July—could have imagined.
It's not long before secrets are exposed and questions emerge, and everyone in Ebey’s End has to open their hearts a little wider to make room for it all. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)
What an incredibly interesting and wonderful story! Or I should say “stories”, as the author gave everyone in the entire town a chance to be heard and known. I love a well-rounded book, rich with real feelings and a lot of heart.
The small Island town setting matched the storyline entirely and I often felt that I was there in the Pacific Northwest, with the mist and gray skies above me. The main characters, Anita and July, were perfectly mismatched in a way that made them ideal for one another. I could picture the small grocery store that Anita owned and envision the streets of the little town.
The story of an orphaned girl ending up on an island of misfit characters was so well written and I adored every minute of it. When I was finished, I felt like I had to say goodbye to an entire cast of new friends. I would love to see a sequel!
Thanks to Dutton for the book in exchange for an honest review. Purchase The Peculiar Gift of July here.
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