The Whale: A Love Story

In the summer of 1850, Herman Melville met Nathaniel Hawthorne at a Massachusetts picnic, and the lives of both man were changed forever. In his debut novel, Beauregard weaves a tale based on the real-life relationship of two of America's most renowned novelists, following the interactions they shared while living as neighbors in the Berkshires. During this period, Hawthorne wrote The House of the Seven Gables and Melville completed Moby-Dick, which he dedicated to Hawthorne. This fictional biography is the story behind that dedication and the love affair that some believe the two men shared%E2%80%94a stormy romance that would scarcely be believable if not for the use of Melville's real letters to Hawthorne, many of which are reprinted in the book. The emotion of the affair can occasionally feel abrupt, but readers will come to reconsider what they know about the lives of the two authors, and those who approach with an open mind may find their views on the writings of Melville and Hawthorne permanently changed. (June)