Marrow

Shea debuts with a spellbinding tale of magic and motherhood centered on 30-something hopeful mother Oona. Pregnant again after five miscarriages, Oona makes her way to an island retreat called Bare Root off the coast of Maine, where a group of witches help pregnant women carry their babies to term. Oona has history with Bare Root. Her mother, Ursula, is the manager, and Ursula banished Oona at 18 under mysterious circumstances that are revealed later. What’s more, her husband Jacob’s late sister, Daphne, died by suicide as a guest at Bare Root, back when Oona still lived there. Disguised now as a registered guest who couldn’t make it to the retreat, she shows up and participates in a protection spell. After Jacob’s unexpected arrival, the secrets of the past gradually come to light, and Oona gets a chance to redeem herself for what happened to Daphne and reverse a curse that may have caused her miscarriages. While the narrative can be choppy in its transitions between the many plot threads, it has plenty to say about what it means to be a mother (“Motherhood granted a woman access to power,” Oona muses), and it delivers a shocking twist. This potent concoction gets the job done. Agent: Marya Spence, Janklow & Nesbit Assoc. (Sept.)