The Gulf of Lions

by Caitlin Shetterly

From the acclaimed author of Pete and Alice in Maine, comes a standalone and evocative sequel about a mother who, recovering from the trauma of breast cancer and a mastectomy, takes a once-in-a-lifetime trip across France with her two daughters, determined to fully live. There, she finds herself newly awakened by beauty and desire but when the trip takes a turn for the worst, she must decide between a life of pleasure or the deep tethering of family.

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

Alice, teenage Sophie, and young Iris begin their odyssey in the French Alps, entering a foreign world they did not know existed: beautiful people, luscious food, and sensual temptations. It’s a freeing experience—exploring the countryside, sleeping beneath the stars, reveling in the sights and scents of nature. For the first time since her diagnosis, Alice starts to feel alive, less afraid of dying, and less angry about her husband's affair.

But as the family continues south, traveling through Provence, where they camp on the Gulf of Lions, an area of the Mediterranean known for wild, roaring winds and purple fields of lavender, they start to unravel the yarn that binds them together. By the time they head to the charred Pyrenees, and then back across France to stay in a castle that sits on the confluence of two rivers, Alice worries that the trip might have been a disastrous and reckless mistake.

A beautiful meditation on womanhood, personhood, exploration, survival and sexual awakenings, The Gulf of Lions is a breathtaking and emotionally resonant story that plumbs the eternal question: What, in the end, will keep a family from falling apart?

Genres: Fiction, France, Literary Fiction, Summer, Audiobook, Travel, Contemporary

336 pages, Hardcover

First published May 19, 2026

About the author

Caitlin Shetterly is a frequent contributor to National Public Radio where she reports on arts and culture, food, and lifestyle. She can be heard on both All Things Considered and Weekend Edition. For Weekend Edition, she created a series of autobiographical audio diaries about the Recession under the title Diary of a Recession. These diaries, along with her blog, Passage West, inspired her memoir Made For You and Me: Going West, Going Broke, Finding Home (Voice, March 8, 2011).

Caitlin's first book, Fault Lines: Stories of Divorce, was published by the Putnam Berkley Group in 2001. For several years, she wrote a bimonthly column, "Bramhall Square," about relationships and love for the Portland Phoenix.

Caitlin is the Founder and Artistic Director of the Winter Harbor Theatre Company, where she produces and directs works that attempt to tackle the important issues of our time. Caitlin graduated with Honors in English and American Literature from Brown University. She lives with her husband, photographer Daniel E. Davis, their young son, and their salty dog, Hopper. When she isn't writing, directing plays, producing radio pieces, cooking, cleaning or childrearing, Caitlin spends as much time as possible reading, watching "Friday Night Lights" and, especially, walking outside in nature.

Reviews

[Hannah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read to escape reality, and this book was a bit too real - bratty and overly dramatic teens, exasperated middle-aged mom/wife, lost husband, none of which really had a point. Noticed this was a sequel. Maybe the first book was better, but I have no desire to see if it was.

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A somewhat shaky recent breast cancer survivor gets a dream writing assignment to travel through France, visiting various camping locations from north to south and east to west, so she decides to head off with her 8- and 13-year-old daughters for this driving-camping trip. She’s leaving her husband behind, because she hasn’t made up her mind about whether she’ll stay with him. He was a model of loving and stellar support during her cancer treatment, but that was immediately after she caught him cheating, so. The pleasures of the French camping journey were considerably dimmed for me by the insufferable 13-year-old, a sullen brat of the first order, whose only communication seems to be to tell her little sister to shut up, several times a day, and to bark complaints at her mother, who she insists on calling by her first name. Does the little bee-yotch not care that her mother is only one year out from the end of her treatment and is still very scared? She is disdainful that her mother opted not to have reconstructive surgery after her mastectomy, mildly disgusted when she catches a glimpse of her mother’s surgical site. I’ve never been the mother of a teenager, but I just could not like this kid. She spoiled it for me.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I absolutely loved Alice and Pete in Maine and was so excited to learn that this was a sequel. Caitlin Shetterly's writing is gorgeous, absolute poetry. This book is full of beautiful prose. But I did not enjoy the experience of reading it outside of the descriptions of France.

I thought Alice's actions did not match her personality or her words at all. This is a wealthy urban family who don't seem to love the outdoors, so they go camping in France? Looking past that, I didn't find her actions toward other people to be all that realistic either.

I found the children incredibly grating. Sophie may have been written like a normal teenager, but who actually wants to spend their leisure time experiencing that kind of vitriol? I hated every moment with her in it.

It did not make sense to me that all these farmers with camping space became besties with Alice and her kids at every turn. People are not that friendly. Alice and the kids seemed so grumpy and unpleasant and people were fawning all of them for no reason at all.

The last quarter of the book was bonkers. It was like a second novel stuffed inside that was full of holes. Surely there was a better way to resolve this story. Probably a hundred better ways.

3 stars for beautiful prose but I really did not enjoy this at all.

[Shantha (ShanthasBookEra) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fabulous summer family saga set on the beautiful French coast with Alice and her daughters Sophie and Iris after she has recovered from cancer. An introspective exploration of womanhood, motherhood and marriage. I loved it and highly recommend.

[Shannon (The Book Club Mom) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few years ago, I read one of my very favorite pandemic stories of all time called PETE AND ALICE IN MAINE by Caitlin Shetterly. Imagine my surprise when I found out that the author had a new book coming out this spring. Then imagine my extreme excitement when I found out that it was a sequel! I screamed. I really, truly did. If you haven’t read PETE AND ALICE yet, don’t worry your pretty little head off. Shetterly’s latest can be read as a standalone, but I still recommend reading PETE AND ALICE beforehand to get the full backstory.

If your book-loving soul craves stories about women simply living their lives, getting through various seasons of it, tackling obstacles, processing life’s problems, dealing with personal trauma, and perhaps even finally finding themselves during all of the messiness of it, then this book is for you. It touches on motherhood, marriage, friendships, illness, self-discovery, sexuality, and all of the complexities that life throws at us.

The mother-daughter storyline was the icing on the cake for me. Shetterly perfectly captured the dynamic between a woman and her teenage daughter. As someone who’s in the thick of this stage, it brought much comfort and insight to me. It made me realize that I’m not alone in this journey.

READ THIS IF YOU ENJOY:

- Motherhood and marriage
- Family drama and dynamics
- Mother-daughter relationships
- Travel and adventure
- Breast cancer stories
- France setting
- Character-driven novels
- Self-discovery

If you loved Catherine Newman’s SANDWICH or WRECK, then this one will be right up your alley—it has very similar vibes. Perhaps even a little Elizabeth Strout-ish as well. Caitlin Shetterly has proven and solidified herself as an auto-buy/read author for me. Her writing style feeds my soul.

4/5 solid stars for THE GULF OF LIONS!

[Romi Konorty · Rating 2 out of 5]

Every MC was extremely unlikable. The song lyrics were annoying. Randomly adding a new plot 85% of the way into the book and finishing with that was a wild choice and one that made no sense. I was excitedly waiting for this book but it was disappointing and annoying.

[Elizabeth Norman · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75⭐️ The food and the setting really won me over. Baguettes 🥖 and butter 🧈 and cheese 🧀 next to the Mediterranean is officially something I want in my life.

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was 50/50 for me.

The parts with Alice, I absolutely loved. The whole book could have worked successfully from just her point of view. 5/5 stars for Alice.

When the book shifted to the points of view of her daughters, Sophie and Iris, it didn’t really work for me. (I also didn’t love how the audiobook was produced using the same narrator for all three perspectives.)

I struggled the most with Iris’s chapters. Some of the descriptors she used for things, especially food, just didn’t feel age-appropriate for an eight-year-old.

I also didn’t love the climax of the story. It didn’t feel needed, and I thought the author could have taken the book in so many different directions and ended up with the same overall feeling at the end.

[Kathryn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m torn on this one because I met the author and I really liked her and wanted to like the book but it was a swing and a miss for me. 75% of the book was a slow build up and then the last 25% of the book was rushed, changed course, and didn’t wrap up anything that the book lead up to? The whole point was writing a story and I wish that was included more in the book, like whatever happened with her story? An excerpt from it would have at least tied up some loose ends and maybe make Alice’s choices make a little more sense

[Shannon Sabella · Rating 2 out of 5]

A story that had potential was unfortunately undermined, for me personally, by heavy-handed and frequent political commentary, underdeveloped storylines and shallow characters. I am used to author’s viewpoints not matching my own, and I am more than okay with that. However the references in this book just felt too frequent, unnecessary and performative. The final storyline seemed thrown in there just to extend the book, didn’t really add anything and felt rushed and unrealistic. This was a miss for me.

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I related SO hard to some of it (breast cancer treatment, perimenopause) and some not at all (being a mother/wife). The imagery was almost…luscious? It was a little much by the end, but most of it really immersed me in the setting. I appreciated the realness of the characters as well and enjoyed the different perspectives in narration.

[Lesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A huge fan of Caitlin’s first novel, Pete and Alice in Maine, I was thrilled to read an advanced copy of The Gulf of Lions.
With her signature lyrical writing and characters so vivid, I was swept away from page one and couldn’t put this one down.

Alice is recovering from breast cancer and decides to take her two daughters, Iris and Sophie on a trip to France. Part adventure, part work-the adventure takes them camping in the Alps to Provence, then to the Pyrenees, the Dordogne River Valley, and finally to Lyon.

What unfolds is a story of adventure, determination, secret loves, endurance, inspiration, loneliness, heartbreak, plus a love letter to the region’s culture and food.
At the core, this is the remarkable story of a mother, wife, friend and the resilience of life.

A must-read (pub date 5/2026)

[Cheryl · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wish I knew why I was motivated to read this book in the first place.

[Kristine Spychalski · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this to be very disjointed with basically nothing happening, and then the author panicked and made up a stupid ending.

[Amelia Moenster · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t feel like there was much of a plot, but I enjoyed the French atmosphere and setting.

[Blair · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s so confusing sometimes to be a girl 🥲

[Leah Cherokee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alice is a changed woman, her year-long battle with breast cancer made sure of that. Now, in the uncharted territory of healthy-but-not-yet-cured, Alice is trying to pick up the shattered pieces of her old life--aftermath of her husband's affair included--and forge a new life where is a woman, a mother, and a writer once more.

However, even with the promise of a camping trip through the French Alps ahead with her daughters Iris and Sophie, Alice's days are tainted by grief and fogged with uncertainty. Iris's anxiety and Sophie's mercurial teenage spirit are already pulling at Alice's delicate seams; suddenly, the journey through France seems more daunting than liberating. Nonetheless, Alice chooses (and she's not had much choice in the last year) to go.

And just like that, readers, "The Gulf of Lions" has soared into my top 10 books of 2026 list with resounding triumph. It is, without a doubt, the perfect story to devour in the sweltering summer heat when you're looking for something not only with rich, gorgeous landscapes, but with an emotional depth that will pull at your heartstrings. "The Gulf of Lions" is decadent without losing its substance even for a moment. Each conversation between characters, each French meal, each landscape feels deliberately and delicately crafted by Shetterly; they sing together in a gorgeous, poignant tribute to womanhood found and lost, and the messiness between both where life happens. An undeniable triumph, "The Gulf of Lions" is the unassuming book of the summer that needs to be on your to-read list today.

*Many thanks to NetGalley & Harper Books for my advanced review copy of this title*

[Paula Storm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have heard so much buzz about this book. I didn’t realize it was a sequel to another work because it is billed as a stand alone novel. Perhaps if I had read Pete and Alice in Maine, I would have had a background for these characters and their relationships. It wasn’t until the very end when the family bonds over a shared incident that I started to feel a connection. Otherwise, the mother-daughter, wife-husband and sister-sister bonds seemed cold, not knowing the events that lined them up that way. I feel like if I go back to read the original work now, maybe things from the Gulf of Lions might start to click.

[Ali Urbanski · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was excited to read this one on our trip to France. Alice, a working mom of two, who recently beat breast cancer, had me convinced I would be her biggest fan!! Sadly, this was a huge miss for me, start to finish. Alice and her daughters go to France to embark on a journey centered around a writing piece Alice is hired for. What ends up happening with that, we will never know. I’m not sure which plot is more unnecessary: the constant reference to either her or her daughter’s breasts, or the last 25% of the book. If you see this on your library shelf, keep moving 🙁

[Ellen Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

I fell in love with every part of this book and the characters in it. This is one of the most relatable reads lately with themes of trauma, health issues, traveling to find oneself again, and what really makes us feel like we are home. Alice is such a fantastic character because she is raw and real. I supported her even at her lowest times. I loved the setting and the quick pace as the plot goes on. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Sarah Crumley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Review of copy received from Goodreads Giveaways:

This book was clearly not for me and apparently it is a sequel which I had NO idea about before reading other reviews of this book upon completion. I think that should have been clearly marked somewhere. The plot was all over the place, including adding a completely new subplot about 80% of the way through the book which I do not believe enhanced the story and/or followed the same themes/lessons I thought the book was going for. There should also have been a list of potential trigger warnings prior to the start of the book. And, lastly and perhaps most unfortunately, none of the characters were like-able in the slightest. I will not be going back to read the first book in the series. 😬

[Tara Talks Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book as the idea of cancer, motherhood, and escape seemed familiar. I am 7 years out from my own diagnosis, though my daughter was out of the house by that time. Bonds between mother and daughter are strong, and the growing up and separation, balanced against the need for each other is a tension that the author understands.

The mother, Alice is lost. The father, Pete (playing a side storyline) is lost. They are looking to find themselves so that they can find each other. This was a strong storyline of cancer, family, love, loss, and growth.

[Megan Sisson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed all the French countryside descriptions and the mother/teenager relationship. It felt a little slow in the middle but the end was a surprise and I couldn’t put it down.

[Bethany Radcliffe]

Delicious writing!

[Amy]

I struggled to give this book a rating— so I didn’t. There are portions of the story that I absolutely loved, especially the chapters narrated in the first person by Alice. I struggled with the chapters that written in the third person, focusing on different characters though. I also struggled to identify the through-line of the story and I was a blindsided by the last few chapters of the book. In some chapters, the writing was so captivating I couldn’t put it down. So yeah… I just can’t put a rating on this one.

[Loriana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mother daughter camping trip in the French countryside, sign me up! I just loved all the descriptions of the towns, French characters and their pets, food, mountains, streams, and sea. The mother daughter relationship drama felt so relatable (7yo and 13yo). What a brave mom! The twist at the end kept me up late into the night.

[Gwen]

I think Elin recommended this one. I decided to read it while in France because I like to match my settings. But it turned out to be too heavy (breast cancer topic) and slow to read on vacation. I decided to DNF at 20% but others may like it.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Harper for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Erinlynn]

Had some beautiful spots of brilliance: describing French countryside, food, interactions/ relationships with daughters…but got lost in trying to add drama, esp. @ the end…too bad….still worth reading.

[Andria · Rating 3 out of 5]

My one sentence review: Beautiful descriptions of France, interesting story, though not always quite believable (or maybe I’m too introverted to have those kind of road trip experiences).

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the vivid descriptions of the scenery in France, the excellent descriptions of the French food, and some of the mother/daughter interactions. However, I don't think those were redeeming enough for the things I did not enjoy about the novel.

Reading about the narrator's health struggles (while I understand that is a major plot point), plus the anxiety-inducing interactions between mother & teen daughter (why the heck does Sophie call her Alice, be the way?), plus the slightly irresponsible behavior of the mother while on the trip, in combo with the events of the last 30ish pages of the novel, were a bit too much for me. It left me feeling like the plot was all over the place and then ended abruptly.