The Invisible Husband of Frick Island

Colleen Oakley

May 2021 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

“This is the hopeful book we all need right now. I loved it!”—Emily Giffin, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Lies That Bind

As Seen on the TODAY SHOW
 
A Southern Living Best Beach Read * A PopSugar Best Book of May * An Us Weekly Summer Beach Staple * A Frolic Under-the-Radar Book of May * An OK Magazine Best Summer Beach Read * An EW.com Best Book of Spring * A Country Living Can't Miss Beach Read * A LibraryReads Pick for May * An Emily Giffin Book Club pick

Sometimes all you need is one person to really see you.

Piper Parrish's life on Frick Island—a tiny, remote town smack in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay—is nearly perfect. Well, aside from one pesky detail: Her darling husband, Tom, is dead. When Tom's crab boat capsized and his body wasn't recovered, Piper, rocked to the core, did a most peculiar thing: carried on as if her husband was not only still alive, but right there beside her, cooking him breakfast, walking him to the docks each morning, meeting him for their standard Friday night dinner date at the One-Eyed Crab. And what were the townspeople to do but go along with their beloved widowed Piper?
 
Anders Caldwell’s career is not going well. A young ambitious journalist, he’d rather hoped he’d be a national award-winning podcaster by now, rather than writing fluff pieces for a small town newspaper. But when he gets an assignment to travel to the remote Frick Island and cover their boring annual Cake Walk fundraiser, he stumbles upon a much more fascinating tale: an entire town pretending to see and interact with a man who does not actually exist. Determined it’s the career-making story he’s been needing for his podcast, Anders returns to the island to begin covert research and spend more time with the enigmatic Piper—but he has no idea out of all the lives he’s about to upend, it’s his that will change the most.

USA Today bestselling author Colleen Oakley delivers an unforgettable love story about an eccentric community, a grieving widow, and an outsider who slowly learns that sometimes faith is more important than the facts.

Ratings and reviews

4.5 stars This was such a charming and heartfelt novel. It was a wonderful balance of sweet and quirky, while also being mysterious and intriguing. It's an emotional journey that will tug on your heartstrings and probably have you reaching for a kleenex or two. The unique and almost frozen in time setting of Frick Island was perfect. The novel fell more into women's fiction than romance for me, but there are certainly romantic elements. Ultimately, the book is more about the love story between Frick Island and its residents than it is about any specific individuals. Colleen Oakley's writing was beautiful and transported me right to the Chesapeake Bay. I really enjoy the multiple points of view that she often will include to show a single event from several perspectives. The characters and plot points were woven and tied together with great care and the slow reveal kept me turning the pages way past my bedtime. I really appreciated how organically the friendship between Anders and Piper unfolded after their awkward meet cute. They both helped the other be better and see things from a new perspective. Honestly, I could have done without the romance between them, but I liked that it wasn't the main focus. The residents of Frick Island were wonderfully unique and endearing. They all form a sort of patchwork quilt family, and it's that love (for better or for worse) that really drives the novel. Those found families were such a vital component to the story. I also thought the topic of grief was handled very delicately and honestly throughout. Deception plots aren't really a favorite for me and I did feel that the main drama with Anders's podcast and Piper dragged on for too long, but I liked that the resolution wasn't rushed. Similar to her previous novel, You Were There Too, I appreciated the hopeful (and somewhat bittersweet) conclusion. The Invisible Husband of Frick Island was a heartwarming and beautifully human novel. CW: death of loved one, grief, depression, parental abandonment, stroke *I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book*

About the author

Colleen Oakley is the USA Today bestselling author of You Were There Too, Close Enough to Touch and Before I Go. Her books have been named best books by People, Us Weekly, Library Journal and Real Simple, and have been long-listed for the Southern Book Prize. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband, four kids and the world’s biggest lapdog.