Left Bank Books, in downtown Belfast, invites the public to a talk and signing at the bookshop by Maine author Caitlin Shetterly on Tuesday, June 16, at 7 p.m., to celebrate the release of her new book, The Gulf of Lions.

"The evocative, standalone novel is a sequel to Shetterly’s 2023 bestselling Pete and Alice in Maine," said a Left Bank news release.

Reconciling with her husband after a betrayal and recovering from a yearlong battle with breast cancer, Alice longs for an escape. When she’s presented with the opportunity for a once-in-a-lifetime camping trip across France, she packs up her teenage and pre-teen daughters for the adventure, hoping it’s the new start she so desperately needs.

Alice, Sophie, and Iris begin their odyssey in the French Alps and continue to Provence the Mediterranean, and the Pyrenees. Along the way, Alice finds herself newly awakened by beauty and desire. When the trip takes a turn for the worse, though, she must decide between a life of pleasure or the deep tethering of family.

Shetterly’s story about how The Gulf of Lions came into being, and the unexpected and almost-unbelievable personal experience she had while writing it, is both moving and memorable, according to the news release.

"Her book is a beautiful meditation on womanhood, exploration, survival, and sexual awakenings that plumbs an eternal question: What, in the end, will keep a family from falling apart?" said the release.

Shetterly’s work has been featured in The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, and Elle, as well as on Oprah.com, This American Life, and Weekend Edition. She is an editor-at-large for Frenchly, a French arts and culture online news magazine. A Maine native, Shetterly graduated with honors from Brown University.

Reservations are required to attend Shetterly’s talk and booksigning, and may be made on Eventbrite.com. Contact the shop at 207-338-9009 or info@leftbankbookshop.com with questions.

Ample free parking is available in front of the shop and in an adjacent City lot, according to Left Bank Books.