The Fisherman's Gift
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  • Published: 4 March 2025
  • ISBN: 9781787304918
  • Imprint: Harvill Secker
  • Format: Trade Paperback
  • Pages: 368
  • RRP: $34.99

The Fisherman's Gift

Formats & editions
Tr. Paperback
4 Mar 2025
EBook
6 Mar 2025
Audiobook
6 Mar 2025
Hardback
6 Apr 2025
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The entrancing and heart-breaking story of a lost boy, a tragic love affair and a seafaring community’s buried secrets finally coming to light.

The sea stole him from her. Could it bring him back?

Winter, 1900. A little boy washes up on the beach of a small fishing village in Scotland, barely alive. He bears an uncanny resemblance to teacher Dorothy's son, lost to the sea many years before.

When the village is snowed in, Dorothy agrees to look after the child until he can be returned home. But, as the past rises to meet the present, long-buried secrets in this tight-knit community start to come to light. And Dorothy finds herself thrown together again with the reclusive fisherman Joseph, after years of keeping their distance.

Bursting with tension and tenderness, this is an exquisite love story that delves into the precious moments that can lie behind village gossip.

'A beautiful story of grief, hope and love; of dark snowy nights, the mysteries of the sea and, above all, redemption' Lucy Diamond, Sunday Times bestselling author of Something to Tell You

READERS LOVE THE FISHERMAN'S GIFT:

‘Took my breath away’ *****
‘This book emotionally destroyed me in the best way… My heart aches so much for these characters’ *****
‘An absolute treasure of a book. I loved it from start to finish’ *****
‘A haunting and evocative read. The characters, especially Dorothy, have stayed with me well beyond the pages.’ *****
‘A completely immersive, first-class story. Brilliantly observed, atmospheric and haunting all in one novel!’ *****

'As mistakes are forgiven, secrets revealed and love rekindled, a glimmer of hope illuminates this tender, moving debut' Daily Mail

‘Spectacular... a gift to readers everywhere...a treasure’ Adriana Trigiani, New York Times bestselling author of The Good Left Undone

'Rich in atmosphere and brimming with mystery… a poignant, spellbinding tale of loss and resilience.' Christina Baker Kline, New York Times No. 1 bestselling author

'Stunning… Gorgeously multi-layered… evocative and heartbreaking, weaving melodic prose with a compelling story... I loved every word.' Fiza Saeed McLynn, author of The Midnight Carousel

'Superbly crafted and tender, [The Fisherman's Gift]'s a brilliant evocation of time, landscape and characters - with twists to keep you gripped to the last page' Woman & Home

'The characters and setting are memorable' New York Times

  • Published: 4 March 2025
  • ISBN: 9781787304918
  • Imprint: Harvill Secker
  • Format: Trade Paperback
  • Pages: 368
  • RRP: $34.99
Categories:

Praise for The Fisherman's Gift

As searing as a winter wind. With perfect pacing and vivid prose, Kelly shows us not just what was but what could have been, and therein lies this book’s real gift.

Rachel Beanland, author of FLORENCE ADLER SWIMS FOREVER and THE HOUSE IS ON FIRE

A beautiful story of grief, hope and love; of dark snowy nights, the mysteries of the sea and, above all, redemption

Lucy Diamond, Sunday Times bestselling author of SOMETHING TO TELL YOU

Spectacular... a gift to readers everywhere...a treasure... I imagine that this novel will be shared and read in the years to come by readers who long for a great story well told. I didn't want it to end.

Adriana Trigiani, New York Times bestselling author of THE GOOD LEFT UNDONE

Characters so authentic they live and breathe well beyond the page....Julia Kelly is a writer of extraordinary talent and I adored this book.

Fíona Scarlett author of BOYS DON'T CRY

A breathtaking, an exquisitely written, pitch-perfect look at love and shame, what is lost and what is found. Like the sea she describes with haunting eloquence, Julia Kelly’s story surges then ebbs, sweeping the reader along with its powerful currents

Jeanette Walls, New York Times Bestselling author of THE CASTLE

Hauntingly beautiful and completely absorbing, this tragic tale of grief, love and longing kept me reading well into the night. A stunning debut that will stay with me for a long time to come.

Rosie Walsh, bestselling author of THE MAN WHO DIDN'T CALL

Rich in atmosphere and brimming with mystery… a poignant, spellbinding tale of loss and resilience...reminding us that the human heart, like the sea, holds depths we can never fully fathom

Christina Baker Kline, New York Times No. 1 bestselling author

A beautifully-written, heartbreaking novel full of wonderful characters - a real gem of a book

Emily Koch, author of WHAT JULY KNEW

A tender, deeply felt story of a mother’s yearning. The small Victorian Scottish village setting is beautifully evoked. This is a most enjoyable debut.

Rachel Hore, Sunday Times Bestselling Author of THE HIDDEN YEARS

Superbly crafted and tender, it’s a brilliant evocation of time, landscape and characters – with twists to keep you gripped to the last page

Woman & Home

As mistakes are forgiven, secrets revealed and love rekindled, a glimmer of hope illuminates this tender, moving debut

Daily Mail

A beautifully written story of loss and love that has an almost dreamlike quality that makes it feel not quite of this world

Florence Knapp