The Winter Sea: A Novel

Giuseppe d’Aquino is a fisherman, as was his father before him, and every other generation of d’Aquinos, past, present, and future. Due to the poverty in his own little island off the coast of Italy, he travels to Australia, changing his fortune and that of his future generations for the better—though not without hard work, heartbreak, and loss along the way.

Decades later, within a sleepy seaside town, Cassie Halloway embarks on her own journey of self-discovery while starting over after a failed marriage and lackluster career choice. Just as her new life is taking off among the welcoming people of Whitby Point, a mysterious inheritance causes a rift between Cassie and her new friends, putting her business in danger and leading her to question what little she knows about her own family history.

The Winter Sea by Di Morrissey is an intriguing tale about taking risks despite life’s twists and turns, told in alternating viewpoints—Giuseppe’s past and Cassie’s present—which intertwine in a rather painful yet poignant way. With mesmerizing descriptions of the breathtaking setting—unavoidably evoking wanderlust— Morrissey tells the story of how the past affects our future, and secrets, no matter how well-meaning, inevitably come to light.