LOVE & LOBSTERS

Parker offers a charming romance about a woman living and working in a lobster-fishing town on the New England coast.

The remote village of Christmas Cove, Maine, is home to the endearingly awkward Charlie Pinkham, who describes herself as a “female lobsterman.” (“Most people get it wrong,” she explains at one point.) Her life is one of comfort and familiarity, with long days hauling shellfish and pleasant times with grandmother Mem and best friend, Maia. She believes herself to be unsuited to romance, and she allows very few people past her emotional defenses. Then several changes happen to her and those around her: Mem finds love; Maia asks Charlie to post on her blog, and her lobster-themed posts are a surprise hit; a handsome (but married) new tenant moves in next door; and Charlie connects with a stranger online and inadvertently sets in motion a local Christmas festival. Charlie navigates all these events with unease, struggling to accept the notion that her world could possibly expand beyond her usual boundaries. This cozy, feel-good romance explores the power of a small supportive community, the many kinds of love that lift us up and how fear can weigh us down, and whether it’s possible to find that rarest of loves—much like the one-in-100-million “cotton candy” lobsters that Charlie describes in her posts. Parker brings the December Maine coast to vivid life with captivating, intelligent prose that highlights the Maine resident’s clear love of the region, as when she describes the village’s lights (“water can effortlessly transform beads of light into a fitful sea of stars”) and a new dawn: “Strands of silver float up from the twilight sea, churning pink as they reach for the sun.” Just as lovingly illuminated are her descriptions of the rhythms and tasks of lobstering.

A heart-skipping small-town love story with tight pacing, captivating prose, and memorable characters.