THE INVISIBLE HUSBAND OF FRICK ISLAND

*Library Journal Starred Review*

*Library Reads May 2021 Pick*

*Named a Best Beach Read by Southern Living, Country Living, Us Weekly, OK Magazine*

*Inaugural Pick for the Emily Giffin Book Club*

Sometimes all you need is one person to really see you.

Piper Parrish’s life on Frick Island—a tiny, remote town smack in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay—is nearly perfect. Well, aside from one pesky detail: Her darling husband, Tom, is dead. When Tom’s crab boat capsized and his body wasn’t recovered, Piper, rocked to the core, did a most peculiar thing: carried on as if her husband was not only still alive, but right there beside her, cooking him breakfast, walking him to the docks each morning, meeting him for their standard Friday night dinner date at the One-Eyed Crab. And what were the townspeople to do but go along with their beloved widowed Piper?

Anders Caldwell’s career is not going well. A young ambitious journalist, he’d rather hoped he’d be a national award-winning podcaster by now, rather than writing fluff pieces for a small town newspaper. But when he gets an assignment to travel to the remote Frick Island and cover their boring annual Cake Walk fundraiser, he stumbles upon a much more fascinating tale: an entire town pretending to see and interact with a man who does not actually exist. Determined it’s the career-making story he’s been needing for his podcast, Anders returns to the island to begin covert research and spend more time with the enigmatic Piper—but he has no idea out of all the lives he’s about to upend, it’s his that will change the most.

USA Today bestselling author Colleen Oakley delivers an unforgettable love story about an eccentric community, a grieving widow, and an outsider who slowly learns that sometimes faith is more important than the facts.

Book clubs! If you want to make the Frick Island Cake for your club, go here for the original recipe from Mrs. Kitching of Smith Island. If you prefer to order the cake, go to www.smithislandcake.com.

“An utterly charming story brimming with heart and humanity. This is the hopeful book we all need right now. I loved it!” —Emily Giffin, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“Sweet, quirky, surprising, and altogether lovely, The Invisible Husband of Frick Island is everything I long for in a book. I fell in love with Oakley’s sparkling prose, charming characters, and quaint island setting. This is a story I can’t wait to revisit, again and again. A must read.”—Emily Henry, New York Times bestselling author of Beach Read 

“What’s a town to do when a recent widow keeps talking to her husband that no one else can see? Follow along, of course. Colleen Oakley’s captivating The Invisible Husband of Frick Island is populated with quirky characters that stole my heart. Make this your summer read and discover the joys of a delicious Frick Island cake, the sanctuary of a tight-knit community, and the hope of second chances.”—Amy E. Reichert, author of The Coincidence of Coconut Cake

“A gently told story of grief, community and ambition, The Invisible Husband of Frick Island is imaginative, lovely and full of surprises.”—Kristan Higgins, New York Times bestselling author of Always the Last to Know

“This twisty, never-predictable novel is exactly what we’ve come to expect by Oakley—a romantic mystery with a hopeful message and wonderful characters. I was surprised on every page!”–W. Bruce Cameron, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Dog’s Purpose

“The Invisible Husband of Frick Island is a tender, surprising story of love and loss with a sprinkle of laughter too. Colleen Oakley’s writing is as fresh as the fish caught by the Frick islanders. Once you hop off the ferry to join them, you’ll never want to leave. This was the most enjoyable book I’ve read in a long time.”—Phaedra Patrick, bestselling author of The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper and The Library of Lost and Found

“The Invisible Husband Of Frick Island is a fricking delight! An awkward newcomer travels to a tiny, remote community whose residents cling as tightly to their way of life as they do to their secrets, even as climate change threatens to sweep the whole charming island out to sea. Part mystery, part romance, and full to the brim with heart and hope, Colleen Oakley’s latest is the perfect summer read.”—Amy Poeppel, author of Musical Chairs

“Let Colleen Oakley take you away to the the enchantment of Frick Island, where a nostalgic past and inevitable present collide in this romantic story of more than meets the eye. The Invisible Husband of Frick Island is headed straight for my favorites shelf!”—Kelly Harms, bestselling author of The Seven-Day Switch

“Frick Island is the kind of place where you’d happily be stranded forever like Gilligan. This luminous quirky beauty deserves permanent space on your heart’s bookshelf.” —Kristy Barrett, founder of A Novel Bee