The Rattled Bones

Unearthing years of buried secrets, Rilla Brae is haunted by ghostly visions tied to the tainted history of a mysterious island in this haunting novel from the author of The Girl Who Fell . For Maine-bred Rilla Brae, pulling lobsters from the ocean has always sustained her—until the day her father dies unexpectedly on his boat. Grieving, Rilla must decide whether to stick to her plan of leaving for college or keep fishing the same waters her dad used to fish. But when Rilla starts to see visions of a girl on a nearby island, curiosity pulls her to the island's uninhabited shore, where she meets Sam Taylor—a first-year University of Maine archeology student. Soon, Rilla's visions start to take hold, especially after Sam finds evidence of a tragedy tied with the island. Locals never spoke of the island or its history and Rilla is shocked to learn the awful stories of the island's former inhabitants, forcing her to wonder if the visions are some... "The feminist ghost story you've been waiting for." — Bustle Unearthing years of buried secrets, Rilla Brae is haunted by ghostly visions tied to the tainted history of a mysterious island in this "electrifying, taut tale of the sea, grief, and memory" (Kathleen Glasgow) from the author of The Girl Who Fell . Maine-bred, independent Rilla Brae is no stranger to the deep. She knows the rhythms of hard work and harder seas. But when she experiences the sudden death of her father, the veil between the living and the dead blurs and she begins to be haunted by a girl on a nearby, uninhabited island. The girl floats a song over the waves, and it is as beautiful as it is terrifying. Familiar and distant. Then Rilla meets Sam, a University of Southern Maine archeology student tasked with excavating the very island where the ghostly girl has appeared. Sam sifts the earth looking for the cultural remains of an island people who were forcibly evicted by the state nearly a hundred years ago. Sam tells Rilla the island has a history no locals talk about—if they know about it at all—due to the shame the events brought to the working waterfront community. All Rilla knows for sure is that the island has always been there—an eerie presence anchored in the stormy sea. Now Sam's work and the ghostly girl's song lure Rilla to the island's shores. As Rilla helps Sam to unearth the island's many secrets, Rilla's visions grow—until the two discover a tragedy kept silent for years. And it's a tragedy that has everything to do with Rilla's past. After her father's death, Rilla Brae puts off thoughts of college to take over his lobstering business. She begins helping Sam, an archaeology student excavating nearby Malaga, an uninhabited island. Sam's work-- and the haunting song of a ghostly girl-- uncover a tragedy kept silent for years ... a tragedy that involves Rilla's past After her father's death, Rilla Brae puts off thoughts of college to take over his lobstering business, while helping an archaeology student excavate nearby Malaga, an uninhabited island with a ghost that beckons her