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Table of Contents
About The Book
A haunting psychological suspense novel about a young woman who visits her remote family cottage seeking answers to a murky past—for fans of Catherine McKenzie and Amber Cowie.
When her estranged father goes missing, Jude is persuaded by her mother to find his will. She travels to the family cottage on remote Gull Island, glad to be away from the city and to have the chance to sort through old memories, but is unsettled by what she finds there.
While contending with the neglected cottage and encroaching wild animals, Jude looks not only for her father’s will, but also for photographs of herself as a baby, desperate for proof that she was loved as a child. However, loneliness and terrifying dreams soon wear on her, bringing back frightening memories. Thoughts of her distant mother and intimidating father, her jealous sister, and her mother’s mysterious friend infest Jude’s increasingly clouded mind.
Then a fierce storm sweeps away her boat and severs her from the outside world. Forced to reckon with long-buried truths and filled with the terrible sense that the cottage may be haunted by more than the past, Jude begins to fear for her sanity—and her life.
When her estranged father goes missing, Jude is persuaded by her mother to find his will. She travels to the family cottage on remote Gull Island, glad to be away from the city and to have the chance to sort through old memories, but is unsettled by what she finds there.
While contending with the neglected cottage and encroaching wild animals, Jude looks not only for her father’s will, but also for photographs of herself as a baby, desperate for proof that she was loved as a child. However, loneliness and terrifying dreams soon wear on her, bringing back frightening memories. Thoughts of her distant mother and intimidating father, her jealous sister, and her mother’s mysterious friend infest Jude’s increasingly clouded mind.
Then a fierce storm sweeps away her boat and severs her from the outside world. Forced to reckon with long-buried truths and filled with the terrible sense that the cottage may be haunted by more than the past, Jude begins to fear for her sanity—and her life.
About The Author
Photograph by Mark Raynes Roberts
Anna Porter is the award-winning author of ten books, both fiction and nonfiction, most recently Deceptions and In Other Words: How I Fell in Love with Canada One Book at a Time. She has written five mystery novels, including The Appraisal, which was shortlisted for the Staunch Book Prize, and Mortal Sins. Kasztner’s Train won the 2007 Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction and Ghosts of Europe won the Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing. She cofounded Key Porter Books, an influential publishing house she ran for more than twenty years. In addition, she writes book reviews, opinion pieces, and stuff. She is an Officer of the Order of Canada and has received the Order of Ontario. Visit her at AnnaPorter.ca or connect with her on Twitter @AnnaPorter_Anna.
Product Details
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster (September 5, 2023)
- Length: 256 pages
- ISBN13: 9781668017715
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Raves and Reviews
“A deep dive into a darkly troubled family that is overflowing with razor-sharp characterizations.”
— LINWOOD BARCLAY, New York Times bestselling author of The Lie Maker and Take Your Breath Away
“Full of atmosphere and things that go bump in the night, Gull Island is sure to leave you guessing about what is real and what is imagined until the very last page.”
— CATHERINE McKENZIE, USA Today bestselling author of Have You Seen Her and I’ll Never Tell
“A real tour de force, with a strong sense of place, memorable characters, and a tightly wound plot. I was entirely caught up in the intrusions of nature, buried secrets, imperfect memories, and personal failings.”
— ANNE GIARDINI, bestselling author of Advice for Italian Boys and The Sad Truth About Happiness
“Set in a terrifyingly remote cottage, Gull Island is buoyed by skilled pacing, tense plotting, and a haunting conclusion about the inescapable power and presence of family bonds and betrayals. A transportive and creepy contemplation of the insidious nature of memory and place.”
— AMBER COWIE, author of Last One Alive
“[A]n author of dazzling versatility who can move confidently from serious nonfiction to the escapist pleasures of the mystery novel. . . . [A] taut psychological thriller.”
— Montreal Gazette
“[T]his new mystery from Order of Canada publisher/author Anna Porter is absolutely brilliant, utterly mesmerizing. . . . Gull Island is splendidly written, and this hellish family will make your own kinfolk look a whole lot better. Even the in-laws.”
— Winnipeg Free Press
“Porter isn’t afraid to explore dark places, and she masterfully leads readers through Jude’s turmoil.”
— Jewish Independent
“This is a dark and moody book, almost gothic. . . . Porter makes brilliant use of the unreliable narrator in her main character, Jude. . . . It speaks to Porter’s mastery that she is able to weave this story to its tragic conclusion so subtly, and even that end is lush with unanswered—but satisfying—questions.”
— The Miramichi Reader
“Porter delivers a powerful psychological thriller set in Ontario cottage country. . . . A real page-turner.”
— Everything Zoomer
“[The] ending had me thinking about this book long after I had finished reading it. . . . A compelling read with some great twists to keep the reader engaged and guessing.”
— TO Times
Resources and Downloads
High Resolution Images
- Book Cover Image (jpg): Gull Island eBook 9781668017715
- Author Photo (jpg): Anna Porter Photograph by Mark Raynes Roberts(0.1 MB)
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