The Midcoast

A Novel

By: Adam White

Narrated by: George Newbern

Length: 9 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • “Propulsive . . . An absorbing look at small-town Maine and the thwarted dreams of a family trying to transcend it.”—Lee Cole, The New York Times (Editors’ Choice)

“I tore through the saga of the Thatch family in two nights. The Midcoast is a reader’s dream—tense, ominous, and deeply wise.”—David Benioff, co-creator of Game of Thrones

Finalist for the New England Society Book Award • A CrimeReads Best Book of the Year

It’s spring in the tiny town of Damariscotta, a tourist haven on the coast of Maine known for its oysters and antiques. Andrew, a high school English teacher recently returned to the area, has brought his family to Ed and Steph Thatch’s sprawling riverside estate to attend a reception for the Amherst women’s lacrosse team. Back when they were all teenagers, Andrew never could have predicted that Ed, descended from a long line of lobstermen, or Steph, a decent student until she dropped out to start a family, would ever send a daughter to a place like Amherst. But so the tides have turned, and Andrew’s trying hard to admire, more than envy, the view from Ed’s rolling backyard meadow.

As Andrew wanders through the Thatches’ house, he stumbles upon a file he’s not supposed to see: photos of a torched body in a burned-out sedan. And when a line of state police cruisers crashes the Thatches’ reception an hour later, Andrew and his neighbors finally begin to see the truth behind Ed and Steph’s remarkable rise. Soon the newspapers are running headlines about the Thatches, and Andrew’s poring over his memories, trying to piece together the story of a family he thought he knew.

A propulsive drama that cares as deeply about its characters as it does about the crimes they commit, The Midcoast explores the machinations of privilege, the dark recesses of the American dream, and the lies we tell as we try, at all costs, to protect the ones we love.

©2022 Adam White (P)2022 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Looking for an addictive summer read? This crime drama embedded in a moving portrait of two Maine families marks the debut of a genius storyteller.”—People (Book of the Week)

“A propulsive crime saga . . . An absorbing look at small-town Maine and the thwarted dreams of a family trying to transcend it.”—Lee Cole, The New York Times

“One of the most anticipated novels of the year.”—Town & Country

Fun for those who know Maine!

This is a very fun story. Though I was expecting more of a mystery than the way that it unfolded. I really enjoyed it but I felt like it couldn’t totally decide what type of book it was. And maybe that’s for the better.

Vacation land mystery

I really enjoyed the story and the details of the Midcoast setting. It kills me that they couldn't get a reader who could really capture the accent, it really would have added to the sense of place. Otherwise, would recommend!

Readermakes this spectacular

It’s an intriguing story and characters are described so intricately in the plainest expressions. Reader pulls you in from beginning.

CAnnot recommend

Poorly written and the narrator was annoying
The narrator makes all the difference but the plot was corny to begin with

Ugh, Missed the boat…

The narrator of this story is so pretentious. The story of the Thatches held great promise, but is never treated as more than a voyeuristic obsession of a shallow and unlikeable narrator/author. There was no depth given to the characters and there should have been, yet we were subjected to entire paragraphs and chapters of tedious opining from a narrator tattling out a story because why? He had nothing better to do? Half this book was irritating. I live near this town, but did not grow up here. The book tiptoed near giving a glimpse of what it is like to grow up here, and what your prospects are if you didn’t come from money, but are still smart and hardworking. Why shouldn’t you have the opportunity to prosper? This was rich territory that sadly the author treated superficially. What kept me going were the the Thatches and the fact this was part of a book club read. The narration was decent.

Mostly interesting

For the most part, I enjoyed listening to Midcoast. Because I’m from a small town in New England, I especially appreciated the realistic portrayal of small town government as well as the geographical details. However, the narrator should have been made aware of the correct pronunciation of Amherst. While the “h” is pronounced in the New Hampshire town of Amherst, in the Massachusetts town, it’s pronounced “Amerst”-the “h” is always silent.

Damariscotta boy.

Being that I grew up here. It was such a great read. Quiet a few families that I imagined it could be about. Lincoln “ high school “ was a tough sell.

Good story, uneven narration

The Downeast accent was inconsistent throughout the book. The story, though, “nailed” Maine. Very descriptive.

I’m from Maine and I found it plausible. Liked the college characters.

The narrator dropped the volume of his voice at the end of sentences so you had to have the volume up to get everything.

So Overhyped

I rarely write reviews and don't like to be a hater, but I want to warn people that this is just not what it's cracked up to be. It was really difficult to care about anyone in this story. The narrator is a blank--I had no idea who this person was and what motivated or moved him. You can't even muster up any real animosity for the antagonist in the novel. The toggle between past & present doesn't work well and serves no purpose. This was hard to even get through, and often I found my mind drifting to other things while listening and then had to go back. Really not worth using an Audile credit.