ON STARLIT SHORES

In this journey of love and grief, a young woman returns to the hometown she barely remembers.

After her grandmother passes away, Alex travels with her best friend, Grim, to Grandma’s cottage in the small British seaside town of Indigo Harbour. With his help, Alex plans to go through her grandmother’s things, but her grief and regrets are almost too much to bear: “I didn’t even visit. I ended our calls early.” Some of Grandma’s belongings bring up vague childhood memories of the town and a bedtime story about a falling star. During a chance encounter, Alex learns that her divorced grandmother was seeing a woman named Elizabeth. She’s dismayed that Grandma didn’t tell her about the relationship—and try as she might, she can’t find Elizabeth. After Alex follows a black cat, she has an encounter that shows her there’s more magic in the town than she recalls. As she searches for information, trying to fill in the gaps and locate Elizabeth, Alex navigates loving and missing Grandma and honoring her memory. Her emotional arc is poignant and presented in a way that readers will find extraordinarily relatable. Glendining’s remarkable illustrations render each character distinctive. Their mastery of light and shadow is particularly impressive, creating a luminous watercolor effect. Alex has dark brown skin and curly black hair, Grim has tan skin and wavy black hair, and most main characters are queer.

Stunning from beginning to end.