The Fisherman’s Gift

Kelly debuts with a sentimental, faintly supernatural tale of a lost child in a remote Scottish village. The action moves between the late 19th century, when Dorothy Aitken arrives to serve as a schoolmistress in the fishing village of Skerry, and the early 20th century, when a tragedy from her past rears its head. In Skerry, Dorothy falls for handsome young fisherman Joseph, but gentle boatbuilder William has his heart set on her. Not wanting to cause a fuss, Dorothy settles down with William, and the couple has a son named Moses. One stormy night, Moses goes missing, and Joseph finds the boy’s boot wedged between rocks on the shore. Several years later, Joseph finds another young boy on the shoreline who strikingly resembles Moses. A still-grieving Dorothy feels “the past at the door, trying to get in, and squeezes her eyes tight shut against it,” but agrees to care for the foundling, unsure if he might be her son returned to her by some mystical force. Through the characters of Dorothy, Joseph, William, and other Skerry residents, Kelly plumbs the human desire for connection—and capacity for disappointment—with a gentle, skillful hand. This promises good things to come from Kelly. Agent: Dorian Karchmar, WME. (Mar.)