Across the Inlet: A Story About Unconditional Love in Alaska (The Alyeska Saga)

Anger is easier than forgiveness—but at what cost?

There’s much Abby has tried to forget in her life, including her biological father who, besides crueler things, labeled her a “dumbass girl.” Her stepdad, Bill, on the other hand, Abby doesn’t ever want to forget. So when her sister Aurora informs her that he only has days to live, Abby hops on a plane to Alaska.

But Aurora lied. While Bill is dying, his is a lingering death, the wearisome kind marked by bedsores and soiled sheets. As days turn into weeks, Abby discovers that, among other things, Aurora has been stealing money from their parents, and her anger begins to harden into hatred. Although Abby’s central desire is to protect Bill from needless suffering, the discord between her and her sisters threatens to destroy the peace she longs to offer him.

A remarkable work of literature, Across the Inlet is a raw, lyrical tale that plunges you into the turbulent waters of a family in crisis as they struggle to stop measuring the future by the past.

"Summers masterfully weaves together the past and present in this absorbing volume, the first in a planned series, and her lyrical, almost spiritual, descriptions of the Alaskan wilderness create an evocative backdrop for the drama that unfolds." – Kirkus Reviews