You
can almost feel the sand between your toes as you read COASTLINERS.
And yet this new novel from Joanne Harris, award-winning author of
CHOCOLAT, is far from a typical beach read. Set on a small French
island, the story revolves around a handful of families that
dictate every aspect of life there with the notable exception of
the tides. And, as they soon discover, even that power may be
within their reach.

COASTLINERS is a potpourri of mystery, romance, and suspense.
Readers follow in the footsteps of Madeleine or "Mado," a young
woman who returns to her island home to a silent father and a
community that is quickly slipping into the sea. An artist whose
subject matter has always been the island, Mado returns to Les
Salants from Paris seeking a sense of home, of family, of
belonging.

Once again exploring the inner-workings of community, of who fits
in and why, Harris deftly imparts deep-rooted feelings of loss with
those of revenge to the inhabitants of Les Salants, a town where
historical feuds fester and faith in a Saint overrides a sense of
independent action.

Though readers may stumble on similar sounding names of an
ever-expanding cast of characters, the compelling plot --- complete
with unexpected twists and turns --- makes the story well worth the
read. The power of charm in its seediest of contexts, the
destructive effects of misdirected love, and the manipulative power
of human nature work to pull at and repair the tiny island
community of Les Salants. At the story's end, characters emerge
with a renewed sense of direction and readers feel as though
they've taken a dip into the deep end of a French island pool.
Harris treats readers to descriptions of Les Salants and its
residents that seem almost tangible. You can see the glittery
pieces of sand as they build on the beach and taste the salt from
the sea.

Harris strikes gold in this new novel, which catapults readers into
the disheveled lives of one family that exists on an island of its
very own. Carrying the expectations of a deceased mother and the
guilt of leaving her forlorn father on Les Salants, Mado struggles
to strike a balance between independence and familial
reconciliation. Readers of CHOCOLAT may recognize familiar themes
of self-discovery and shedding veils of the past in COASTLINERS.
Yet unlike the dark element to CHOCOLAT, COASTLINERS imparts a
sense of possibility in its 344 pages and leaves readers with a
desire to know more about the about the fate of the
Salannaise.