Shipwrecks are fascinating things—tragedies and secrets long-held and hidden below the surface of the water, they rest. As the wooden frames rot and wear away, changed beneath the unrelenting ocean, they provide a foundation for new life, new growth, new ecosystems. And as the tides and the wind have the ability to keep things hidden, they also possess the power to push them to the surface, years later, exposing what has been there all along but no one could see.
Mary Ellen Taylor’s
The Brighter the Light
depicts the tragedies, secrets, and triumphs across three generations of women in a coastal town in North Carolina. The captivating dual timelines—from present day to one summer in the 1950s—capture in vivid Technicolor the sweltering, sun-soaked summers at the shore. The enchanting songs, red lipsticks, crisp linen dresses, hot sandy beaches, and the sacrifices mothers will make for their daughters. A hurricane churning up the coast whips up sand, water, and secrets, and like the shipwreck just offshore, old events are revealed and cast in bright new light.
Grab a beach towel, a park bench, or a cozy armchair—wherever you’ll be most comfortable—and prepare to be transported and transfixed by Mary Ellen Taylor’s sweeping tale of love, sacrifice, and seaside reverie.
—Alison Dasho, Editor