Lauren E. Rico
At a glance
A painful unsolved mystery resurfaces after decades of confusion, sending one woman and her daughters on a journey of redemption in this emotional story about intergenerational trauma, family, and the beauty of Puerto Rico for fans of Nina LaCour, Xochitl Gonzalez, Elizabeth Acevedo, Jodi Picoult, Celeste Ng, and Julia Alvarez.
Thirty years ago, musicians Emilia Oliveras and Paul Winstead were married in Puerto Rico. Forty-eight hours later, Paul vanished from their honeymoon cruise, leaving Emilia devastated—and the prime suspect in his disappearance. So, she ran for her life, leaving behind her love, her dreams, and her identity.
Today “Emily Oliver” is a divorced music teacher and mother of two daughters who know nothing about her past: Gracie, a talented attorney who excels in the courtroom but grapples with personal relationships, and Meg, a gifted concert pianist who wrestles with her ambition and purpose.
When a cryptic caller claims the unthinkable—that Paul is alive, Emily returns to Puerto Rico in search of the truth. What she doesn’t know is that her daughters aren’t far behind. Shocked to find their mother isn’t the woman they thought she was, Gracie and Meg wonder how much of their lives have been a lie.
As the paths of the three women intertwine, they are compelled to confront their pasts, reevaluate their relationships, and seek forgiveness. Together they embark on a quest to unravel the mystery of Paul’s disappearance and redefine their futures on their own terms, navigating a maze of family ties, secrets, and redemption.
"A vivid tale of love, power, family, secrets, and the power of music. I was completely swept away by the characters and their emotional journeys. It’s a beautiful, believable, and yet utterly shocking tale. Brava, Lauren Rico—this is storytelling at its stellar finest!"
- Ellen Meister, author of Take My Husband and Divorce Towers on After the Storm
"A multigenerational history of secrets, betrayals, and regrets underpins this ambitious and heartfelt exploration of the complexities of familial bonds. Lauren Rico’s absorbing story touches upon social injustices and moral ambiguities, but at its heart, After the Ocean is a poignant reminder that healing cannot begin without truth and forgiveness."
- Jamie Beck, Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author
"Rico’s novel is a love letter to her heritage [that] enables an immersive experience as the would-be sisters follow elusive leads and bypass previous dead ends. Rico cleverly balances a diverse supporting cast, both unreliable and persuasive. Even as Rico highlights connections by blood, she repeatedly reminds readers, ‘It’s not about who we share our DNA with so much as who we share our heart with.’"
- Shelf Awareness on Familia
Thirty Years Ago
Paul was falling, the rush of warm, moist air causing his untucked shirt to billow out around him. His hair whipped around his head, delivering tiny, stinging slaps across his eyes, nose, and mouth. By far, the worst was the sound— equal parts whistle, wail, and roar—so loud that he wished he could move his hands to cover his ears. But his limbs were useless, pinned heavily against his body as he tumbled.
They say when death is imminent, your life flashes be- fore your eyes—a torrent of images that span from cradle to grave, streaming across your mind’s eye like a video stuck on fast forward. But the only picture filling Paul’s field of vision was her face—every arch and plane, curve and dip memorized long ago. It had—she—had taken his breath away four years ago when she’d walked into their freshman Music Theory class at the conservatory. He had known even then that he’d marry her. And he had. Not forty-eight hours ago, they’d stood, hand in hand, on a white, sandy beach, where he vowed to love her for the rest of his life. A life which, apparently, was to be much shorter than either of them had anticipated.
Bits and pieces of it floated around in his mind like individual puzzle pieces that he couldn’t quite click into place…
Minor sexual abuse (off-page).
