The Ghosts of Gadus Island
inspired by a true story
©David H. Roper
Gadus Island, Maine—Three Days, Summer 1967
In the small village on the remote coast of Maine, the locals call him Tarzan. But no one knows much about the real Aiden Quinn, only that he’s a handsome but strange acting teenage boy who has lived his whole life on remote Gadus Island. But in 1967, when eighteen-year-old Cleo and her archeologist grandfather sail to Gadus in search of artifacts of the mysterious Red Paint People, Cleo encounters something much more alluring. Aiden Quinn is no Tarzan at all, but an extremely bright, self-educated, nature-loving, and delusional recluse. As their worlds converge, he reveals that his squatter parents have disappeared. He has told no one, fearing he will be removed from his beloved island. Over the next three days, Cleo tries to understand him and help him cope, while sharing the loss of her own mother, until they come together in a way neither thought possible. But when Aiden unveils a terrifying secret, Cleo is forced into a life-changing decision.
Inspired by a true events, this coming-of-age story is reminiscent of Where the Crawdads Sing, as it moves back and forth in time, and unveils the struggles, joys and fears of two teens from vastly different worlds, and how they try to cope when their hearts become one.
just released, September 2023
