SPIRITUALITY & RELIGION

Washed Ashore: Family, Fatherhood, and Finding Home on Martha’s Vineyard

by Bill Eville
David R. Godine. May 2023. 256p. ISBN 9781567927382. $26.95. MEMOIR
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Eville (editor, Vineyard Gazette) says he stopped attending church as a teenager and therefore had been ambivalent toward religion. This, of course, can be difficult for a person married to a minister. Eville’s wife became the first woman minister at a 350-year-old church, so they moved from New York City to Martha’s Vineyard. The author, fresh off a career of his own that had crashed and burned, initially questioned his role as stay-at-home dad to two young children while his wife practiced her ministry. Structured as an episodic memoir, this book spotlights his exploration of his new life and his struggle to become a writer. His well-crafted story is realistic and poignant—especially when he recounts his wife’s breast cancer diagnosis, which brings clarity to a heretofore unfocused life.
VERDICT The author’s journey will be a familiar one to many readers who struggle to find meaning in their day-to-day existence and their ability to conquer any threats against it.
Reviewed by Gail Eubanks , Apr 01, 2023
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