Red Ruby Heart in a Cold Blue Sea: A Novel [Paperback]

“An authentic page turner…. Rogers [vividly] captures this era of Elvis records and small-town Maine fishing life.” —Down East

In 1963, twelve-year-old Florine Gilham enjoys an idyllic childhood in small-town Maine—until her beloved mother vanishes. Untethered and adrift in the wake of her disappearance, Florine finds her once-cherished joys—watching her father’s lobster boat come into port, baking bread with her grandmother, and causing mischief with the summer folk—suddenly ring hollow. When a figure from her father’s past comes calling, Florine must find the courage to lay down roots of her own.  Set against the gorgeous backdrop of the Maine coast,Red Ruby Heart in a Cold Blue Seais an extraordinary snapshot of a bygone America as seen through the eyes of an iconic New England girl.

“Rendered first-person in confiding, colloquial prose . . . [like] the bittersweet coming-of-age movies (see:Stand By Me,The Last Picture Show) that don't get made much anymore." —Leah Greenblatt,Entertainment Weekly


“Deeply moving . . . Callan Rogers writes with a superb sense of place and period, delving deftly into true-to-life responses to unexplained loss . . . A realistic and resonant coming-of-age novel.” —Kirkus


“Callan Rogers ’ astonishing debut brilliantly illuminates deep loss, impossible longing, and our yearning to hold onto love no matter what, all told in the lake-clear voice of one remarkable young heroine. So rapturously moving, I could barely bring myself to close the final page.” —Caroline Leavitt, author ofPictures of You


“Rich in landscape and character, with regional dialect and phrases that will tip many mouths into grins.” —Annie Bostrom,Booklist


“Young Florine Gilham's mothelÓ.