March 16, 2022
Wrightsville Beach: A Novel
Suzanne Goodwyn
Cartay Books (2022)
ISBN: 979-8-9858004-0-1
Romance Novel Entwines True Love, North Carolina, and Sea Turtles
Suzanne Goodwyn’s debut novel, Wrightsville Beach, is a compelling love story set against the backdrop of Wilmington, North Carolina. We watch love spark and develop between the two main characters, Hank and Jess, and then we see how misunderstandings and the interference of other people threaten their relationship.
Hank Atwater is a young man with a reputation in town, one he is trying to overcome. He is an overall upstanding young man until his older brother and role model dies, causing Hank to spiral into alcohol abuse. During one of his drunken episodes, an incident in a bar lands him in jail, then on probation, which results in his being treated like a social pariah. Fortunately, Hank’s good friend Mike stands by him, and eventually, Mike introduces him to his girlfriend’s roommate, Jess. Hank and Jess immediately feel an attraction for each other, but complications ensue when Hank has a run-in with John, his boss’ privileged son who loves to rile Hank. When John discovers that Hank is dating Jess, John sees yet another opportunity to show his disdain for him.
But Jess sees something in Hank that others in Wilmington aren’t willing to see, and her belief in him soon has him regaining some of his self-confidence. She encourages him to enroll at UNCW, something he never thought he could do but which he considers when he sees how passionate Jess is about her own career dreams to study sea turtles. Together, they experience an almost idyllic summer together, but social pressures, lies, and misunderstandings begin to destroy their relationship, eventually causing Jess to question everything she thought she knew about Hank.
Goodwyn writes beautifully and accurately about the Wilmington area and has obviously done her research into the field of study she gives to Jess. Through Jess’s monitoring of nests in North Carolina and later Florida, Goodwyn portrays the turtles arriving on the beach to lay their eggs and the awe of watching hatchlings later emerge in such a way that will give readers a newfound interest in such creatures. At one point, the turtles become almost a metaphor for Hank and Jess’ relationship. Struggling with knowing what to do, Jess watches a nest of turtle eggs hatch:
“She had finally made it to the Refuge and was doing the one thing she had set out to do, which was watch a turtle nest hatch. Even if it was not with Hank, as she had thought it would be, she was not going to let such a special moment pass. And so despite all she had been through that day, she sat there quietly, watching the turtles as they scurried to the water’s edge, in awe that these tiny creatures were born already knowing what they needed to do.”
After watching the turtles, Jess finally realizes what she also needs to do.
To say more about the plot would be to destroy the deep and convincing story that Goodwyn has developed. Wrightsville Beach is named for the beach in Wilmington where Hank teaches Jess how to surf and they share several special and happy moments together. Goodwyn perfectly captures the flavor of the area, from its beach and fishing pier to its elegant neighborhoods and antebellum homes, its university life and its upper-class social events. She gets into the hearts of her characters, revealing how gossip and money can destroy lives but also how hard work and honesty can help them flourish. All the characters are thoroughly developed to the point where your heartstrings will be tugged on by many of them. Few novels reach such depths of character development, digging down into the gray areas of people’s lives, while keeping us eagerly reading, wanting to find out what will happen next.
Goodwyn has succeeded in creating a memorable first novel that will make people want to visit Wilmington to see all the places associated with Hank and Jess’ romance. These are characters who will live with you long after you finish reading. They are characters who make you stop and think about life, your decisions, and why you might give people the benefit of the doubt when circumstances seem to be against them. Most of all, we are left with an understanding that while love is rarely easy, once found, it is worth holding onto.
For more information about Suzanne Goodwyn and Wrightsville Beach, visit www.Goodwynbooks.com.
— Tyler R. Tichelaar, PhD and award-winning author of Narrow Lives and The Best Place
