The Invisible Husband of Frick Island by Colleen Oakley

The Invisible Husband of Frick Island by Colleen Oakley is the perfect book to jump-start your summer!

Publication Date May 25, 2021

Piper Parrish’s life on Frick Island—a tiny, remote town smack in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay—is nearly perfect. Well, aside from one pesky detail: Her darling husband, Tom, is dead. When Tom’s crab boat capsized and his body wasn’t recovered, Piper, rocked to the core, did a most peculiar thing: carried on as if her husband was not only still alive, but right there beside her, cooking him breakfast, walking him to the docks each morning, meeting him for their standard Friday night dinner date at the One-Eyed Crab. And what were the townspeople to do but go along with their beloved widowed Piper?

Anders Caldwell’s career is not going well. A young ambitious journalist, he’d rather hoped he’d be a national award-winning podcaster by now, rather than writing fluff pieces for a small-town newspaper. But when he gets an assignment to travel to the remote Frick Island and cover their boring annual Cake Walk fundraiser, he stumbles upon a much more fascinating tale: an entire town pretending to see and interact with a man who does not actually exist. Determined it’s the career-making story he’s been needing for his podcast, Anders returns to the island to begin covert research and spend more time with the enigmatic Piper—but he has no idea out of all the lives he’s about to upend, it’s his that will change the most. 

Book Review: The Invisible Husband of Frick Island by Colleen Oakley

This premise of The Invisible Husband of Frick Island by Colleen Oakley is so interesting, original and I can’t wait to see how this story comes together.

From the get-go, I am loving this little town. Frick Island is picturesque, quaint, fun, and from another time. The cast of characters here is unforgettable. From the ferry driver to the dentist who is now the surrogate MD, the diner & more. From the very first page, I can picture it and I want to visit.

“Just because we can’t see him, doesn’t mean Piper can’t.”

Now, we get to meet Piper & Tom. Poor Piper. Tom is lost at sea (we think), yet he is alive and well in Frick Island. His boat is docked and the townspeople wave and say hello to him as he “walks” with Piper. Is this just a way of her handling her grief? Is she having a mental breakdown? Why is everyone going along with this? Will this do her more harm than good for the townsfolk to play along. These are a few of the questions running through my head.

Then we have Anders. He visits the island for a story about the infamous Frick Island Cake Walk and is pulled back in by an anonymous email He pieces together what’s going in with Piper. He knows Tom isn’t real and isn’t sure if he will play along or not. What he will do, is create a podcast. The story of this island is something he feels he has to tell. This is his chance to really tackle storytelling and here walks in Piper believing that her missing husband is still living.

“There were more buried secrets on this island than on a sunken treasure ship and Anders was tired of uncovering them.”

Honestly, I feel like I hold my breath while reading these pages. I want the best for Piper and I want Anders to handle this situation delicately. I have no idea how it will pan out, but so many people can be damaged and hurt. I’m very invested in the well-being of Piper and everyone else on Frick Island.

For me, this is such a great story about grief, community, healing, love, and second chances. The Invisible Husband of Frick Island by Colleen Oakley is truly a story to savor, enjoy and discuss.

Thank you, Berkley, for our gifted review copy.

Let’s connect with books!  We have all of our reviews on Goodreads!

This post may contain links to purchase books & you can read our affiliate disclosure here.