cover image Water Finds a Way

Water Finds a Way

Meghan Perry. Delphinium, $26.99 (360p) ISBN 978-1-953002-41-9

Perry debuts with a vivid if melodramatic story of a 40-something woman attempting a fresh start after serving 20 years for manslaughter. Following Blake Alvares’s release from a prison in Massachusetts, where she killed her mother’s abusive drug dealer in a fight, she inherits the ramshackle Maine house where she happily lived as a teenager with her grandparents. While saving money for repairs, Blake takes a room in town with Nora Hayes, a sweet, recently widowed waitress at the local restaurant. Nora introduces Blake to lobsterman Lee Savard, who reluctantly hires her to work on his boat. Lee’s family has a violent rivalry with another lobstering family, the McDowells, who are rumored to have spiked his late brother Jonny’s drugs. Nora’s daughter, Morning Glory, a stuck-up medical student, is suspicious of the rough-looking Blake, who speaks vaguely about her past, and snoops through Blake’s things, eventually uncovering the details of her conviction. Perry flips from the present-day lobstermen feud, which winds up roping in Blake, to Blake’s harrowing younger years, gradually adding context to the confrontation that sent her to prison. Some of the plot beats are a bit far-fetched, but for the most part, Perry crafts the action with a cinematic scope. Readers will find plenty to enjoy in this poignant tale. (Nov.)