As the Light Fades

West’s stirring story of family and emotional healing after harsh experiences centers around a group of characters whose lives become intricately entwined on Nantucket. The Carlisles are turning their family home into a bed and breakfast, and siblings Liz and David are doing their best to accept that their father, the famous painter Drake Carlisle, is descending into Alzheimer’s. David keeps busy on the B-and-B refurbishment, but Liz is adrift and reconsidering her law career. She had relocated to Nantucket from New York after a breakup with an abusive boyfriend and rents a cottage on the island from Matt Stone. There are sparks between Liz and Matt, but Liz isn’t ready for a new relationship, and Matt is devoted to his daughter, Mia, whose drug-addicted mother is in jail for embezzlement. West illuminates the challenges of moving on after betrayal and skillfully depicts the power of family and learning to love again. This tale about recovering from the profound pain of shattered trust will tug at readers’ hearts. (Self-published.)