The Oyster Garden (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780980889611)

Maggie is living the American dream in Cape Charles, Virginia: ambitious husband, beautiful daughter, stylish home near the ocean. What more could a woman want? Answer: Lots. Why does she want more, and does she even know what she wants? All she knows is that she's tired of being angry and crying for no reason. Strangely, a real catalyst for change in her life comes from oysters. That's right, oysters in a garden, no less.

The state of Virginia has a reclamation project whereby citizens can help foster the declining oyster population in Chesapeake Bay by taking care of baby oysters in cages called oyster gardens. When the oysters have grown sufficiently, they are released into the bay. When Maggie's mercurial teenage daughter comes home from school with such a project, Maggie gets involved and it ignites in her a passion for life, for her relationships, and re-establishes her sense of purpose.