Whose Waves These Are

Amanda Dykes

Apr 2019 · Baker Books

About this ebook

Winner of the 2020 Christy Award Book of the Year

In the wake of WWII, a grieving fisherman submits a poem to a local newspaper: a rallying cry for hope, purpose . . . and rocks. Send me a rock for the person you lost, and I will build something life-giving. When the poem spreads farther than he ever intended, Robert Bliss's humble words change the tide of a nation. Boxes of rocks inundate the tiny, coastal Maine town, and he sets his calloused hands to work, but the building halts when tragedy strikes.

Decades later, Annie Bliss is summoned back to Ansel-by-the-Sea when she learns her Great-Uncle Robert, the man who became her refuge during the hardest summer of her youth, is now the one in need of help. What she didn't anticipate was finding a wall of heavy boxes hiding in his home. Long-ago memories of stone ruins on a nearby island trigger her curiosity, igniting a fire in her anthropologist soul to uncover answers.

She joins forces with the handsome and mysterious harbor postman, and all her hopes of mending the decades-old chasm in her family seem to point back to the ruins. But with Robert failing fast, her search for answers battles against time, a foe as relentless as the ever-crashing waves upon the sea.  

Ratings and reviews

Whose Waves These Are By Amanda Dykes Whose Waves These Are is a story that is split between times as the reader is introduced to the Bliss family and the complexities of their relationship with each other. Bob and Roy were twins who called Ansel-by-the-Sea, Maine, home - they were as close as two brothers could be until the war drew them apart forever. In the wake of this sorrow, Bob has to come to terms with the grief he feels. But how do you honor the life of someone so dear to you? Bob writes a poem that expresses all that he feels and finds that it touches the hearts around him much like a stone tossed into a pond with ripples that went farther than he had imagined possible. Nearly 60 years have passed when Ann Bliss receives word that a return to Ansel and the home she knew for a few short months is needed. Worried about what has happened to her Uncle Bob whom she has always lovingly called GrandBob Ann is about to once again become Bob's Annie. But while Annie waits to see if her uncle recovers she stumbles over something that has her wondering about her uncle and just why he has boxes of rocks hidden away in his house. There is a mystery here and she is determined to learn the truth behind it. But how do you learn about a past that you should be all rights be aware of? Annie is going to put her skills to the test to uncover the past of her own family a past that has been marred by pain, grief, and misunderstanding. But to overcome her own misgivings about her abilities she'll need the help of those who not only call Ansel home but have best known GrandBob over the years. This is a lovely read that takes the reader on a journey that goes from 1944 to 2002. The story mainly takes place in Maine and slowly reveals story by story the lives of the Bliss family. I think the first line of the book sets the stage for what is to come - "Every wave in that big old sea is a story." And as these waves break the stories unfold around those who are willing and able to hear the breaking. I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by the publisher with no expectation but that I offer my honest opinion - all thoughts expressed are my own.

WOW! I have a new favorite book of the year. I don't know where to start so I don't just gush. I will try to do justice to this book in my review. I have read Amanda's work before and enjoyed it very much. I had so many books on my TBR stack by my bed, I didn't know when I would get to her new one. Everywhere I turned I was reading about how good Whose Waves These Are, so I dropped everything and decided to get started on it. I picked this book up and could not put it down. Two-thirty in the morning I finally had to get some sleep. As soon as I could, I completed it the next day. I am still reeling from it. I just want to give it more than five stars. It's definitely a ten. It's been a long time since I've done the ugly cry over a book. Just when I thought I could get myself together, something wonderful and unexpected happened and I shed some tears about that. Please don't get me wrong, this is not a doom and gloom book, by no means. There are so many touching love scenes. Not just between Annie and Jeremiah “Fletch”, I'm talking about love between identical twins, love of family, love of your home town and love for each other. Amanda's characters are so real. I loved them all for their own individually quirkiness. I don't know if I could pick a favorite. I have a terrible fear of he water like Annie, so I could so relate to her. I just want to move to Ansel-by-the-sea, Maine and become part of this beautiful community.

Whose Waves These Are is the fabulous debut full-length novel by Amanda Dykes. The author is a gifted storyteller who is adept at sharing the stories of her characters. They are well-developed, demonstrated primarily through their actions and conversations. The history and beauty of this coastal Maine setting are described in such a was as to lead the reader into the story – well, both stories, as this is a complex, multigenerational novel that includes the life of a young man during WWII and thereafter and his grandniece in 2001. It is thought-provoking, leading the reader to consider their own lives and priorities. Emmanuelle “Annie” Bliss works in Chicago and learned that great uncle Bob needed her in an unusual manner, through an ad in Rusty Joe’s Swap and Sell. Second only to his Bible, this is his reading material in Ansel-by-the-Sea. Ann is the only family member Bob has left other than her father, who hasn’t wanted her to write to GrandBob since the men had a falling out. She and Bob communicate through ads in the Swap and Sell, and Ann has copies of every post they have shared. Annie met Bob when she was an adolescent; her parents were deployed overseas at the same time and she needed a place to stay for the three-month overlap. Annie’s mother knew about Uncle Bob but had never met him. He was their only living blood relative, so her mother took her there to stay. They grew close during those months, and much of Annie’s strength of character, and the abilities to dream as well as pick up the pieces and go on came from Bob’s heart to hers. Now he was in a medically-induced coma, and there was no guarantee he would awaken again. When Ann went back to Ansel-by-the-Sea, she realized she hadn’t felt at home anywhere for a very long time, possibly not since that long-ago summer. She became reacquainted with some of Bob’s friends, Bess, Ed, and Arthur, and a new friend, Jeremiah “Fletch” Fletcher. Fletch took Annie out to Seaman’s Rest, the family home. When going through the home, she found the most curious thing – a closet full of boxes and wrapped containers that had been mailed to Bob. Opening on that fell, she finds a rock. She could tell from checking a few more parcels that he had an enormous collection of all kinds of rocks, from all around the country. Then a man shows up, Spencer T. Ripley, who arrived to celebrate and give an honorary award to Bob for his most famous poem. Poem? Rocks? What has GrandBob been up to all these years? She realizes she knows little about him. I love the author’s writing style. Her characters are unique and three-dimensional, people we grow closer to throughout the novel. Bob’s wisdom came at a high price; his scars are not visible for most to see. Annie learns more about Bob than she ever imagined possible as he is not an average lobsterman. Reflections on faith of each character show how each person grows and changes, and just how much Ann left behind in Ansel-by-the-Sea is evident. Watching how the town looks out for Bob during this crisis just as they had many years ago is refreshing. This novel is full of surprises, there is very little that could be considered predictable. It is full of faith, love, grace, and ultimately, the triumph of a man who had suffered much and had a wealth of experience to share with others. From a thankful heart: I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher and NetGalley; this is my honest opinion.

About the author

Amanda Dykes, a former English teacher, is a drinker of tea, dweller of redemption, and spinner of hope-filled tales. Her novella, Bespoke: A Tiny Christmas Tale, was met with critical acclaim from Publishers Weekly, Readers' Favorite, and more. Whose Waves These Are is her debut novel. Find her online at www.amandadykes.com.