Released: 28/09/2018

ISBN: 9781789014495
eISBN: 9781788034258

Format: Paperback/eBook

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Off-Island

by Marlene Hauser

Lost, Resilient, & Coming of Age

Krista Bourne has always been surrounded by the strength, love and wealth of her family and their homes in New York City and Martha’s Vineyard. She has never had to think for herself. Living with boyfriend Michael and her elderly grandfather, she can also summon up the comforting ghosts of her beloved father and grandmother. In vivid dreams she flies with her pilot father, and when awake remembers idyllic childhood holidays spent with her bohemian grandmother.

When Krista impulsively walks out on her career as a professional dancer, it is the beginning of a new chapter in her life. She feels unsettled and excited by the sense of imminent change around her.

This feeling turns to panic, then fear when she realises that she is pregnant and is uncertain whether or not she wants to keep the baby, bringing her and Michael to a crossroads in their relationship. Adamant that she alone must deal with the situation, Krista rejects all offers of support from him, isolating her at a time when she most needs help.

Krista’s journey and emotional upheaval take her back to her summer home on Martha’s Vineyard, where she is surprised to find out that she does not know her family history quite as well as she imagined.

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Krista has always led a priviledged life with homes and in New York and Martha's Vineyard so when she discovers that she is pregnant she is suddenly faced with the real world and having to make her own decisions. Unsure of what she wants she leaves her boyfriend Michael to go back to the place of her idyllic childhood summers Martha's Vineyard to make her own choices...... but are her memories of the summer idylls all that she thought?

An enjoyable book, I found it a bit slow to start but once into it it was well worth the effort.

by Sally Coles

What a great read! I was hooked from page one! Loved the book!

by Cara Brown (via NetGalley)

Entertaining and well-written. It was a book that I couldn’t put down. Pretty awesome summer read. I read it in one sitting and thoroughly enjoyed it. I have no words to describe the emotions it invoked. Definitely placed in my to be read again pile Would recommended it to my book club once for my friends to read too.

by Jeneille Lewis

About the Author

Marlene Hauser

Marlene Hauser is a professional writer based in Oxford, UK, where she lives with her husband and teenage son. She served as editor of the Writer’s New York City Source Book and originated the television film Under the Influence, going on to serve as Associate Producer and Technical Consultant. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University and has received numerous awards, including a residency at the Millay Arts Colony in Upstate New York.