Islandport Press

The Odum Widows

By Emily Eaton Moore

The Odum Widows
$19.95
$19.95

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A madcap literary Maine masterpiece, newly discovered and published posthumously for the first time.  

For fifty years, Pearl Glass has listened to the crows that watch over Eden Harbor, a quirky Down East Maine village where secrets linger longer than winter. Now her grandmother Abigail—more than a century old and determined to die before summer's end—has one final wish: that Pearl find her happy ending.

As the two women trade stories and long-buried secrets, Pearl is drawn deeper into the tangled history of Eden Harbor's unforgettable residents, including the infamous Odum widows, whose family has been haunted for generations by a curse that turns every wedding into a funeral. Amid gossip, grief, mystery, and unexpected revelations, Pearl must confront the losses that have shaped her life and uncover the truth about her family, her past, and herself.

By turns hilarious, heartbreaking, and wholly original, this newly discovered novel by a previously unknown Maine writer is a literary treasure. Filled with unforgettable characters, sharp wit, and the rhythms of coastal Maine life, it is an instant Maine classic—perfect for readers who love richly woven community stories in the tradition of Olive Kitteridge or The Beans of Egypt, Maine, with a delightfully eccentric twist.

Emily Eaton Moore

Emily Eaton Moore (1949–2010) was a lifelong Mainer, sailor, storyteller, and writer. A Bangor native, and lifelong summer resident of Bucks Harbor on Penobscot Bay, she grew up immersed in the Maine coast, its people, and their layered histories. That harbor, its community, and enduring sense of place stayed with her and became the inspiration for this novel. Following careers in education and the arts, she earned an MFA in Fiction Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts and devoted herself to the craft.An accomplished sailor who navigated Maine waters with instinctive confidence, Moore drew inspiration from the landscapes, communities, and characters she encountered throughout her life. She spent nearly two decades writing and revising, never quite completing the story.Published posthumously for the first time, The Odum Widows introduces readers to Moore's singular voice—wise, witty, compassionate, and unmistakably Maine.