Summer Fruit

“… startlingly clear insights into the complexities of family. The wolves that may or may not have made it to Hollow Island function as a MacGuffin that simultaneously symbolize Jack’s unraveling mental state and lend the novel a fablelike quality … A worthy meditation on the struggle to atone.”— Kirkus Reviews

“The novel blends small-town mystery, raw emotional wounds, and touches of folklore and nature, while its characters feel lived-in and real as the community’s past and present collide. It’s a thoughtful, beautifully written story about family, loss, and how the past always finds its way back home.”— IndieReader

The acclaimed debut novel by Renee Humphrey, Silver Medal Winner of the CIPA EVVY Award for Literary Fiction.

When a dead man washes ashore on Hollow Island, the quiet coastal community is forced to confront secrets long buried beneath its tranquil surface.

Jack Karlsson, a reclusive composer living in isolation, is preparing to reintroduce wolves to the island, hoping to restore the natural balance of the land. But as the mystery surrounding the death deepens, the lives of the island’s residents begin to collide. A rookie detective searching for truth, a troubled bounty hunter facing his past, and a group of young people struggling to find their place all become entangled in the unfolding events.

Set against the haunting beauty of the Pacific Northwest, Summer Fruit blends literary mystery, folklore, and emotional depth into a powerful story about family, loss, and redemption. As old legends and hidden histories resurface, the residents of Hollow Island must confront the instincts, choices, and connections that shape who they become.

© 2025 Outskirts Press (Ebook): 9781977282132

Release date

Ebook: 23 March 2025