Water Finds a Way

A powerful novel about characters striving to escape painful legacies and pursue second chances in a coastal Maine fishing village, this highly atmospheric read will resonate with fans of Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy and The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah.

Recently released from prison, reclusive Blake Alvares returns to the only place she ever felt safe, the now derelict Maine town in which she harbored as a teen. Determined to conceal her secrets and losses, she soon finds herself dragged into others’ lives when she rents a room from an ailing widow and takes a job on a boat owned by a notorious young lobsterman named Leland.

Leland Savard is nearly broke, trying to support himself and 9-year-old Quinnie as he wrestles with a dangerous family legacy. Despite all odds, he and Blake forge a successful working partnership, and as she establishes a timid friendship with widowed Nora, Blake glimpses what it might mean to truly belong. But when Leland's rash actions place her and Quinnie in peril, Blake feels forced to run again. On her quest for home, she must confront a daunting question: can she ever again trust in human connection?


Water Finds a Way is perfect for your next book club selection, for readers who enjoy the believable eccentricity a small town offers—and for those who trust in the redemptive powers of the sea and hard work.

- Winner: IPNE Book of the Year 2025
- Winner: Shelf Unbound Indie Book of the Year 2025
- 2025 IPPY Silver Medal Winner
- Finalist: Foreword Reviews Book of the Year Awards
- Finalist: Next Generation Indie Books Awards
- Finalist: National Indie Excellence Awards
- Honorable Mention: Eric Hoffer Book Awards

“What a fiercely original novel! This powerful read is truly a thoughtful stunner about where we find our place in the world—and our person.”—Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of Pictures of You and Days of Wonder View Less