The Peculiar Gift of July: A Novel

A feel-good, upmarket novel with a dash of subtle magic and an ensemble cast of oddball, small town characters about forgiveness, family, and the sense of humor it takes to live with the ones we love the most.

Ebey’s End is a small town on an island off the Pacific coast, reachable only by ferry, (assuming the gods are with you and it’s not a Tuesday). It’s a comfortable, familiar (but okay, fine, sometimes lonely) life for its resident grocer Anita Odum. That is, until 14-year-old July shows up on her doorstep, accompanied by a social worker with a death certificate for July’s mother, Anita’s estranged cousin from the mainland.

Soon July brings with her not only a fresh perspective but a decidedly pointed one: July seems to “know” what each customer at Island Grocery needs. They’re small things, like a housekeeping magazine slipped into old Mr. Daly’s basket, or a coconut cream pie pressed into the hands of Pastor Chet. But one by one, July’s gifts start to change the lives of nearly everyone in town in ways much larger than they—or July—could have imagined.

As things shake up on the island, secrets are exposed and questions emerge, and the folks in Ebey’s End have to start asking themselves if they are ready for the answers... and so does July.

Story Locale:Ebey's End, Washington

About the Author

Ashley Ream is a former journalist and the author of two previous novels. Her debut novel, Losing Clementine, was a Barnes & Noble debut pick, a Sutter Home Book Club pick and is being made into a major motion picture. Her second, The 100 Year Miracle, was named an Amazon Best Book of the Month and selected as the Whidbey Island all-island read. Ashley lives with her daughter and husband on the edge of the big woods outside of Seattle.

Author Residence: Seattle, Washington

Author Hometown: Independence, MO