Dawnland is about love of all kinds—romantic, doomed, familial, fatalistic, erotic. It’s about wounded people teetering on cliffs both literal and metaphorical, and the healing power of nature.
Truth Comes at What Price?
As summer draws to a close, the idyllic shores of Cape Cod hold a stormy forecast. Two families, bound by years of tradition at their beloved beach house, are on the brink of shattering.
April and Oliver are in-laws with a tangled past. As the family vacation unfolds, their buried secret threatens to erupt like a rogue wave, exposing long-held resentments.
Fault lines appear between spouses, siblings, parents and children. Lochlann, April’s volatile teenager, becomes ground zero for an inevitable earthquake.
Will truth force deeper, more authentic relationships or destroy them irreparably?
In this wise and lyrical novel by the author of April & Oliver, old secrets, family ties, and the unforgiving ocean collide in a summer of reckoning.
Praise
“An engaging novel that hooks readers in with a fast-paced story of forbidden love.”
“A deftly crafted and simply riveting read from start to finish, and one that will be especially appreciated by readers with an interest in complex family relationships, “Dawnland” by Tess Callahan is a very special and recommended pick.”
“Callahan’s latest book brings two brothers, their wives and children, to their family summer vacation on Cape Cod. The annual family trip is usually the same week of dealing with kids, work and the regular troubles of life. But this year, Oliver and April – the wife of Oliver’s brother, Al – have a secret that they are keeping from the rest of the family.”
“Occasionally a book burns into your occipital lobe unable to leave you. How do you stop longing for something you can never have? Dawnland is a poignant reminder that the longings inside of us never go away. Tess Callahan killed me softly with this book. My heart is still in her hands.”
~ Tarryn Fisher, NY Times Bestselling Author of “The Wives” and “Good Half Gone”
About Tess
Tess Callahan is the author of the novels April & Oliver and Dawnland. Her essays and stories have appeared in the New York Times Magazine, Writer’s Digest, National Public Radio, Agni, Narrative Magazine, AWP Notebook, Newsday, The Common, the Best American Poetry blog, and elsewhere. Her TEDx talk on creativity is titled, “The Love Affair Between Creativity & Constraint.” Tess is graduate of Boston College and Bennington College Writing Seminars. A certified meditation teacher, she offers meditations on Heart Haven Meditations and Insight Timer. She hosts an interview series on Substack called Writers at the Well. and curates Muse-feed.com, a toolbox for aspiring writers. A dual citizen of the United States and Ireland, she lives in Cape Cod and Northern New Jersey with her family and number one life coach, her dog.
JUNE 26. 2025 AUTHOR EVENT WITH DAVID HICKS
6pm East End Books, Provincetown MA
NOV 16. 2024 - Author Event with Susan Bernhard
6pm East End Books, Boston
Oct 22, 2024 - Author Talk & Q&A
7pm Morris County Public Library, Whippany, NJ
Sept 9, 2024 - Reading & Discussion
7pm Wellfleet Public Library, Wellfleet, MA