The Miracle on Monhegan Island — Elizabeth Kelly

An O, The Oprah Magazine Best Summer Read

Back with another "tragicomic romp" (O, the Oprah Magazine), the award-winning author of The Last Summer of the Camperdowns brings her sparkling wit and big-hearted touch to Maine's Monhegan Island.

When Spark -- the rakish prodigal son -- returns unannounced to the dilapidated family home, his arrival launches an unforgettable summer on Monhegan Island. During his absence, his gentle brother and shrewd, fork-tongued father, Pastor Ragnar, have been caring for Spark's son, Hally. A temperamental adolescent emboldened by tales of his father's mischief, Hally is careening through an identity crisis when he stuns his family by claiming to have had a spiritual vision. Though Spark is permanently dubious, Pastor Ragnar pounces on the chance to revitalize his flagging church. Hally is shoved into the spotlight and, in the frenzy that follows, this fragile family is pushed to the brink.

Narrated in larger-than-life, crackling prose by one charismatic shih tzu, The Miracle on Monhegan Island is another "exquisite and occasionally uproarious" (Elizabeth Egan) must-read summer blockbuster from Elizabeth Kelly.