Coastliners by Joanne Harris

On the tiny Breton island of Le Devin, life has remained almost unchanged for over a hundred years. For generations, two rival communities, the wealthy La Houssiniere and the impoverished village of Les Salants, have fought for control of the island's only beach.

When Mado, a spirited local girl, returns to Les Salants after a ten-year absence, she finds her home threatened, both by the tides and a machinations of a local entrepreneur. Worse, the sommunity is suffering from an incurable loss of hope.

Mado is not so easily discouraged. Dogged by prejudice from superstitious villagers, she is forced to enlist the help of Flynn, an attractive drifter. But Mado's attempts to transform the dying community have unforseen consequences. As Les Salants returns slowly to life, so do past tragedies, including thew terrible secret that still haunts Mado's father. And is Flynn really who he says he is?

I loved this book, but then Joanne is my favourite author (she wrote Chocolat). I could not put the book down and I felt like I'd lost something when I'd finished.I need to read Five Quarters of an Orange next,then I have read all her books.