A witty, heartfelt novel about a young woman who leaves everything behind to work on an oyster farm in a small New England town.

Recently fired from her dependable career as an actuary, and recovering from a messy breakup with her fianc, thirty-two-year-old Cece Downing is holed up for the summer in New London, Connecticut, without a plan. Mounting financial debts soon force Cece to take the first job opportunity that comes her wayone shes wholly unsuited foras a deckhand on an oyster boat.

Surprisingly, Cece finds herself loving the job: working with her hands, breathing the fresh sea air, and learning the ins and outs of oyster farming. And despite her overbearing mothers pleas to get a real job and reunite with her wealthy fianc, Cece plunges headlong into an ill-advised romance with her neighbor, a handsome shipyard worker named Morgan.

When a proposal to expand the oyster