ARC Review: The Invisible Husband of Frick Island by Colleen Oakley

“This heartbreaking yet heartfelt book made me want to escape to Frick Island”

~ Under the Covers

Picture a remote strip of land surrounded on all sides by water and neighbors who are like family; your whole world contained within a 1 mile radius. The love of your life makes your days joyful and your nights special…until it suddenly ends. Would you be ready for it to end?

The Invisible Husband of Frick Island follows Piper Parrish, a curious, intelligent woman who lives a life of bliss on this remote island with her beloved husband, Tom. When Tom is suddenly lost at sea in a tragic boating accident, Piper goes on living as if Tom is still beside her. Literally. Piper speaks to him, walks him to work, and dines with him at the local restaurant. In an effort to help Piper with her grief, her fellow townspeople pretend her delusions are real and also act as if Tom is still present.

Enter Anders, a hungry out of town journalist who is always on the hunt for the next big story. He is sent on assignment to Frick Island to cover the annual Cake Walk fundraiser, but finds a much bigger story than he expected as he learns of Piper and the invisible Tom.

I thought Piper’s character was fascinating. Her love of wildlife, learning, the island and most importantly, Tom, was so evident. I completely understood the people on the island’s aim to protect her and create this false reality for her. She is a part of their Frick Island family and they could not stand to see her hurting.

Anders’ character was complex, funny, soft hearted and maddening. I loved his passion for his work and his podcast. I enjoyed the juxtaposition between his ambition for the fast paced world of journalism and his growth in the slow, old-fashioned island way of life. As he continues to uncover the truth behind Piper’s invisible husband for his podcast, my loyalty to Piper and the island made me so frustrated with him for exploiting this painful situation.

Piper and Anders slowly form a friendship that turns into more. Piper struggles with keeping Tom’s presence alive while Anders becomes an important person in her life.

The book goes back and forth a bit between before Tom’s accident to present day. I really enjoyed seeing Piper and Tom’s relationship firsthand. Feeling their connection made his disappearance so much more effective. The book also changes perspectives between multiple characters, which I did find a little confusing at times.

One of my favorite parts of the book were all of the side characters. Each person on the island had such an intriguing personality. They were all so important to Piper and the overall function of the island’s day to day life. My first thought when I read the synopsis was that Piper was crazy and she needed some medical help for this false reality she is living in. As I continued to read the book I thought, “Could I blame her?”. If your entire existence also went on living as if your soulmate was still alive, would I really not do the same? Wouldn’t we all try to spare that amount of grief?

Reading The Invisible Husband of Frick Island made me more compassionate and understanding instead of passing judgement as I unfortunately normally would. This heartbreaking yet heartfelt book made me want to escape to Frick Island for the summer, live like a local, and love like Piper and Tom.

   

What did you think of our review?
Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below!

[about-author author=”Colleen Oakley”]

 ♡ Don’t want to miss any of our posts? ♡