After the Ocean - Paperback

by Lauren E. Rico (Author)

How do you find your way back when you've left yourself behind?

A painful unsolved mystery resurfaces after decades of confusion, sending one woman and her daughters on a journey of redemption in this emotional story about intergenerational trauma, family, and the beauty of Puerto Rico for fans of Nina LaCour, Xochitl Gonzalez, Elizabeth Acevedo, Jodi Picoult, Celeste Ng, and Julia Alvarez.

Thirty years ago, musicians Emilia Oliveras and Paul Winstead were married in Puerto Rico. Forty-eight hours later, Paul vanished from their honeymoon cruise, leaving Emilia devastated--and the prime suspect in his disappearance. So, she ran for her life, leaving behind her love, her dreams, and her identity.

Today "Emily Oliver" is a divorced music teacher and mother of two daughters who know nothing about her past: Gracie, a talented attorney who excels in the courtroom but grapples with personal relationships, and Meg, a gifted concert pianist who wrestles with her ambition and purpose.

When a cryptic caller claims the unthinkable--that Paul is alive, Emily returns to Puerto Rico in search of the truth. What she doesn't know is that her daughters aren't far behind. Shocked to find their mother isn't the woman they thought she was, Gracie and Meg wonder how much of their lives have been a lie.

As the paths of the three women intertwine, they are compelled to confront their pasts, reevaluate their relationships, and seek forgiveness. Together they embark on a quest to unravel the mystery of Paul's disappearance and redefine their futures on their own terms, navigating a maze of family ties, secrets, and redemption.

Author Biography

Lauren Rico is an award-winning author and one of the top classical music broadcasters in the country. She is the recipient of awards from First Coast Romance Writers, Birmingham Romance Writers and NJ Romance Writers, and her novel Familia was an Indie Next Pick and a LibraryReads selection. Her voice is heard nationally on SiriusXM's Symphony Hall channel, as well as on radio stations in New York City, Charlotte, and Tampa. A graduate of the University of South Florida and George Mason University, she lives outside New York City. For more info, visit LaurenRico.com.