John Donne said “No man is an island,” and Clay Lockhart said, “Hold my beer.” This story is a feast for the imagination! Shea Earnshaw’s writing and description of setting are so remarkably visceral I always felt like I was there on the island watching Clay and Ellie live this extraordinary life. It’s one of the most unique stories I’ve ever read, and the atmosphere was so immersive and consuming, even when the story took darker turns, I couldn’t step away for long before I needed to pick this back up and spend time with these two characters surviving in such a wide array of circumstances. There’s such a realistic balance of both the light and dark aspects of life in Habits of the Sea. This story takes such an honest look at living and the world in which we do our living, and the ways we are hurting it and what it gives back to and takes away from us. It left me spellbound and confronted and grateful for the natural world and for humanity. I feel like I’ve really been told a story, down to its bones, in the best possible way.
Habits of the Sea by Shea Ernshaw, (List Price: $28, Atria Books, 9781668097731, July 2026)
Reviewed by Savannah, The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, NC