LITTLE GREAT ISLAND

Human drama unfolds on a New England island in Woodworth’s novel.

In this story, two damaged people seek redemption: Harry Richardson, who is experiencing prolonged grief following the death of his wife, and Mari McGavin, who has recently escaped from a controlling religious cult. The setting (and third central character) is Little Great Island itself, which sits off the coast of Maine. This isolated place is not idealized as a rural Eden—it has pressing problems that are both ecological and social—but it is a special place with a soul, and it nourishes both of these characters (“This island is the only place that fills that hole in me”). Mari has returned to live with her parents, traumatized after being swept up by a religious community when her original plan had been to pursue a career in sustainable agriculture. Harry is preparing his family’s house for sale and is talked into a deal with a developer who plans to build a slick corporate retreat. The land must be rezoned for the deal to go through, and a complicated struggle ensues, with Mari passionately helming a competing plan for the island to become more environmentally friendly and self-sufficient. This is not primarily a story about how to save an island from the modern world, though—it’s about complex human emotions and motivations. The narrative tenderly unpacks how people process the unexpected things that happen to them, allowing the characters’ transformations to unfold organically. It is also a complex love story—not necessarily romantic, but moving nonetheless. The plot is sometimes telegraphed a little too clearly, the villains are a bit one-dimensional, and a few pivotal episodes are overly dramatic. But the prose evokes an intense sense of place, conjuring a feeling that is both elegiac and hopeful; the point of view shifts effortlessly from the two main protagonists to a host of supporting characters (including Mari’s father, her childhood best friend, her ex-boyfriend, Harry’s mentor, and the island itself) to evoke the rhythms of island life.  

An uplifting and grown-up novel in which two lost souls find love and purpose.