Whose Waves These Are
About
Winner of the 2020 Christy Award Book of the Year
"An absolute gem of a debut! Whose Waves These Are transcends to the highest level of fiction."--Joanne Bischof, Christy and Carol Award-winning author of Sons of Blackbird Mountain
In the wake of WWII, a grieving fisherman submits a poem to a local newspaper: a rallying cry for hope, purpose . . . and rocks. Its message? 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 harbor village on the coast of Maine, and he sets his callused hands to work.
Decades later, Annie Bliss is summoned back to Ansel-by-the-Sea when GrandBob, the man who gave her refuge during the hardest summer of her youth, is the one in need of help. But what greets her is a mystery: a wall of heavy boxes hiding in his home. Memories of stone ruins on a nearby island ignite a fire in her anthropologist soul to uncover answers.
Together with the handsome and enigmatic town postman, Annie uncovers the story layer by layer, yearning to resurrect the hope GrandBob once held so dear and to know the truth behind the chasm in her family's past. But mending what has been broken for so long may require more of her and those she loves than they are prepared to give.
~~
In this pocket of a harbor where splintered lives, like waves upon the shore, are gathered up and held close . . . I never imagined that it would be my breaking place, too.
Nor how beautiful the breaking could be.
"Family members reconnect over an incomplete WWII memorial in Dykes' tender debut. . . . With its believable characters and narrative of atonement, Dykes's impressive debut will appeal to fans of Sarah Sundin or Kate Breslin."--Publishers Weekly
"In her stellar debut, Dykes crafts a moving and quietly adventurous romance that is steeped in subtle beauty. She links two time frames and the heart-wrenching events of 1944 and 2001 with the maxim, 'Life is big, God is bigger.' The result is a poetic tale of grief, honor, memory, and love that is full of characters readers will long to know and, at the same time, feel as though they already do. Dykes' inspiring story tracks one person's journey to not only find the light in the world, but to fight for it."--Booklist starred review
"The story is well-paced with believable characters that leap off the pages. The author has seamlessly woven specific details about the Fresnel lenses of lighthouses, the reader understand the uniqueness of these coastal beacons. Highly recommended."--Historical Novels Review
Endorsements
"An absolute gem of a debut! With her breathtaking prose and captivating setting, Amanda Dykes weaves a tale of utter charm along the rugged coast of Maine. Whose Waves These Are transcends to the highest level of fiction. The author has paused to see humanity at its most real and precious, leaving the reader to tuck this one among the classics. It's a novel that wraps around the heart, breathing of hope and light in every scene. Equal parts relevant and nostalgic, this is a novel for the ages."
Joanne Bischof, Christy and Carol Award-winning author of Sons of Blackbird Mountain
"This is the book everyone will talk about all year--lyrical, lovely, full of heart and heartache, secrets kept and revealed. These characters, this town, and their stories will seep into your soul and leave you wanting more. A novel of hope and reconciliation you won't forget for a long time, probably not forever."
Sarah Sundin, bestselling and award-winning author of The Sea Before Us and The Sky Above Us
"A lovingly woven tale. Climb into these pages and be buoyed by this story's journey, alternately rocked and lulled by its waves. Full of heart and poetry, Amanda Dykes proves why she is such a beloved voice in lyrical fiction."
Jocelyn Green, award-winning author of Between Two Shores
"With a gorgeously inimitable voice, Dykes sets herself apart with a debut novel as timeless as its themes of redemption and everlasting love. I dare you not to be swept into a yarn of age-old tales and seaside secrets deftly penned by a lyrical pen that pliantly shifts between contemporary and historical frames. Romantic, spellbinding, and wonderfully unique, Dykes's sense of setting and emotional resonance is nearly unparalleled. A book world to be savored and returned to again and again."
Rachel McMillan, author of Murder in the City of Liberty
"When an author can capture me in the early words of a story, hold my attention on every page, and make me care this deeply about the characters and their struggles, the author has proven her skill as a storyteller. Amanda Dykes does all that, but with lyrical language that textures the experience and illustrates the power of well-placed words and their effect on the soul. I'll not forget Whose Waves These Are. Beautifully done."
Cynthia Ruchti, award-winning author of more than two dozen
hemmed-in-Hope books
"Amanda Dykes's voice is as powerful as the waves and as deep as the ocean in Whose Waves These Are. Readers will love the thoughtful imagery and poetic language without losing sight of a well-crafted plot that will offer courage and hope in the face of the storms of life."
Elizabeth Byler Younts, author of The Solace of Water
The Author
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Amanda Dykes
Amanda Dykes's debut novel, Whose Waves These Are, is the winner of the prestigious 2020 Christy Award Book of the Year, a Booklist 2019 Top Ten Romance debut, and the winner of an INSPY Award. She's also the author of All the Lost...
Continue reading about Amanda Dykes
Reviews
"Family members reconnect over an incomplete WWII memorial in Dykes' tender debut. . . . With its believable characters and narrative of atonement, Dykes's impressive debut will appeal to fans of Sarah Sundin or Kate Breslin."
Publishers Weekly
"In her stellar debut, Dykes crafts a moving and quietly adventurous romance that is steeped in subtle beauty. She links two time frames and the heart-wrenching events of 1944 and 2001 with the maxim, 'Life is big, God is bigger.' The result is a poetic tale of grief, honor, memory, and love that is full of characters readers will long to know and, at the same time, feel as though they already do. Dykes' inspiring story tracks one person's journey to not only find the light in the world, but to fight for it."
Booklist starred review
"A deftly penned and thoroughly entertaining novel that showcase author Amanda Dykes' genuinely impressive and reader engaging narrative storytelling style, Whose Waves These Are is an original and page turner of a read from cover to cover."
Midwest Book Review
"The story is well-paced with believable characters that leap off the pages. The author has seamlessly woven specific details about the Fresnel lenses of lighthouses, the reader understand the uniqueness of these coastal beacons. Highly recommended."
Historical Novels Review