Closer by Sea by Perry Chafe

In 1991, on a small, isolated island off the coast of Newfoundland, twelve-year-old Pierce Jacobs struggles to come to terms with the death of his father. It's been three years since his dad, a fisherman, disappeared in the cold, unforgiving Atlantic, his body never recovered. Pierce is determined to save enough money to fix his father's old boat and take it out to sea. But life on the island is quiet and hard. The local fishing industry is on the brink of collapse, threatening to take an ages-old way of life with it. The community is hit even harder when a young teen named Anna Tessier goes missing.

With the help of his three friends, Pierce sets out to find Anna, with whom he shared an unusual but special bond. They soon cross paths with Solomon Vickers, a mysterious, hermetic fisherman who may have something to do with the missing girl. Their search brings them into contact with unrelenting bullies, magnificent sea creatures, fierce storms, and glacial giants. But most of all, it brings them closer to the brutal reality of both the natural and the modern world.

Part coming-of-age story, part literary mystery, and part suspense thriller,Closer by Seais a page-turning, poignant, and powerful novel about family, friendship, and community set at a pivotal time in modern Newfoundland history. It is an homage to a people and a place, and above all it captures that delicate and tender moment when the wonder of childhood innocence gives way to the harsh awakening of adult experience. (From Simon & Schuster)

• Perry Chafe'sCloser by Seais part mystery, part east coast coming-of-age story
• 86 works of Canadian fiction to read in the first half of 2023
• 40 Canadian books to read this summer

Perry Chafe is a TV writer producer and songwriter from St. John's. Chafe co-created and was head writer and showrunner of CBC TV seriesRepublic of Doyle.He is currently a writer and producer on the CBCseriesSon of a Critch.

Interviews with Perry Chafe

The Broadcast24:59The crab tie-up is over + Perry Chafe's first novel is steeped in the cod fishery

Crab harvester and FFAW inshore council member Nancy Bowers talks about the crab fishery starting + Petty Harbour television producer Perry Chafe's first novel is called "Closer by Sea."

The Next Chapter3:14Perry Chafe on Closer by Sea

The television producer and screenwriter Perry Chafe on his debut novel, Closer by Sea.