The Light on Horn Island

Small-town secrets and old flames animate this stirring if crowded contemporary from Luesse (Letters from My Sister). After her best friend unexpectedly dies from an unspecified illness, 26-year-old Edie takes refuge from her busy life in New York in her grandmother’s coastal Mississippi town. Instead of finding peace and quiet, however, she runs headlong into the past, first in the form of her ex, Cole. Then she visits a mysterious local antiques shop and takes home a Victorian parlor game designed to elicit confessions from participants. Playing the game with her grandmother and her friends dredges up secrets linked to a hurricane that ravaged the island decades ago, which come in handy when a local goes missing. At the same time, Edie grapples with her faith as she tries to make sense of her friend’s sudden death—and her own future. Luesse gets readers invested in Edie’s search for answers, even if the multiple historical subplots sometimes threaten to overtake the narrative. It’s a resonant if imperfect tale of grief, hope, and second chances. (Apr.)