Between Sea and Sky

by Heather G. Marshall

“Warm and rich, full of emotion and human experience... gifts for the soul.” Maureen Nery, author of Saving Grace

A young woman crosses continents in a desperate bid to rescue a childhood friend from the confines of an abuse-induced agoraphobia. Under cover of night, an octogenarian sneaks out of her home and goes on the run in a last-ditch attempt to escape those who would make her age a cage. A grandmother seeks connection with a grandchild taken before she was ever known. Women find their strength amid the loss of children, grandchildren, of their own agency and sense of self. With the lyrical language and keen sense of place that readers of Marshall's novels have come to know, these stories transport the reader from the wilds of remote Scottish islands to the swamps of South Carolina.

These are tales of outsiders, of survivors connecting deeply with the natural world—with seas and skies and what lies between. As they battle fear, abuse, mental illness and oppressive societal norms, each of their tales offers us hope and a guide to ways of claiming our fullness even in the most challenging circumstances.

164 pages, Paperback

Published February 24, 2026

About the author

Heather G. Marshall is an adoptee, author, speaker, teacher and guide. Her work reveals a deep reverence for the natural world and for the power and wisdom of older women as she weaves personal narrative with universal truth, guiding readers to question old beliefs, reclaim their voices, and step into stories of belonging and agency. Heather's writing has been published in a variety of journals, including Black Middens: New Writing Scotland, and Quarried, an anthology of the best of three decades of Pine Mountain Sand and Gravel; she has published two novels--The Thorn Tree (MP Publishing, 2014) and When the Ocean Flies (Vine Leaves Press 2024)--and a collection of short stories--Between Sea and Sky (Vine Leaves Press 2026). Her TED talk, “Letting Go of Expectations,” centers around her adoption and reunion. Originally from Scotland, Heather is currently based in the US. You can find out more about her at https://heathergmarshall.com/

Reviews

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intimate short story collection about what we inherit from parents, what they try (and perhaps fail) to protect us from, and what we carry away from childhood.
Across lives shaped by water, land, and distance, these stories trace how love both shelters and limits. Many stories center on moments of threshold, especially around parenthood, loss, and return.

The stories center on the interior experience of characters whose identities are formed through inheritance and fracture. The physical world (sea, mountains, weather, wood, etc.) are forces pulling people outward and calling them home again. Many of the stories unfold at moments of threshold: pregnancy, separation, aging, grief, and return. and several leave space for ambiguity without feeling unfinished.

A few pieces particularly stand out to me. In “Within,” a young woman gives up her baby after a love story is abruptly severed, an act meant as protection that becomes its own enduring trauma. In “Celestial Navigation,” a middle-aged woman returns to the islands of her childhood to reclaim what her father never taught her. “Annalynn Seeks the Sky” offers a portrait of an elderly woman claiming her freedom. And in “Where the Crust Breaks,” a daughter reckons with the loss of her flawed father and discovers a core component of her identity.

Taken together, the collection gains power through accumulation. These stories understand that love and damage often arrive together, and that what we inherit is rarely simple. It reminded me that identity is formed by what we are given and what we learn to carry.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Angie Athanassiades · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful collection of short stories. Heather G. Marshall has breathed life into characters that linger long after the last words of their stories have been told. She has a tremendous ability to convey the internal world of her heroines, even as they interact with the world around them, navigate the challenges of their present lives, all the while carrying their past inside them. What I loved most about Marshall's stories, was how her characters seemed to find strength and solace in the natural world, a connection that the author conveys in a way that is subtle, quiet, but powerful. Ultimately, this is a collection that explores not only what it means to be a woman, a daughter, mother, friend, but what it means and how it feels to be human, to be unsure, but steadfast, to be vulnerable, but strong. It is a beautiful collection that is as hopeful as it is poignant and one that I am sure I will return to again and again.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Elaina Battista-Parsons · Rating 4 out of 5]

I obtained an Advance Copy of this book for review. Between Sea and Sky lives up to its enticing cover—you see it and you want to swirl in between the colors of the font, water, and sea life—swim into something profound. At least I did upon first gaze!

It’s a battle between nostalgia, trauma, childhood delight, and pain. The collection cracks open an artery for the reader, sort of stuck between pleasure and grim—the characters so vulnerable, often young and totally aware. It’s a textured set of stories at a quick cadence without feeling rushed.

I enjoyed the third person Pov in As Good as a Feast—the tales of war, poverty, motherhood, survival. One of my favorites being, Nesting Doll for its take on sisterhood, innocence, and family dynamic.

I’d recommend this book to those who love a textured collection that exposes the humility of ourselves as people, but also the undying hope that we cannot help but have as children.

[Tony Heck · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I come with a new knowledge, sit at the table for the first time with the beginnings of a person to whom I am linked, not by porridge and hikes, but by limb and life, bone and blood.” The short story collection, Between Sea and Sky, by Heather G. Marshall, guides us through fifteen stories that explore the fragile, often painful bonds between people, particularly within families, and the quiet resilience that sustains them. The stories that stuck with me are those that focus on the relationships of mother and child and the hardships, hopes, and fears that follow within these relationships, including “Substrata,” “As Good as a Feast,” “Clear Blue Line,” and “Behind the Veil.” Marshall’s vivid language and thoughtful scenes highlight each character’s struggle and frustration, conveying sorrow while still leaving room for hope and fulfillment.

I received an advance complimentary copy and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.

[barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great collections of stories about the nitty gritty and sometimes dark side of lasting effects of childhood, family life, and the scars you take with you throughout your life. Individually, each story offers a glimpse into a seemingly unseen story of strength, hardship, tough choices, loss of control and grace. Together, they shine light on the poignant intimacies of navigating the (sometimes) shortcomings of those that came before us, but a testament that sometimes, it comes at the cost of everything. The relationships that ebb and flow, are hard and beautiful, have mistakes and grace, have no hope and a sense of identity and freedom. Often times those that are the hardest come with an "and" not an "or."

I highly recommend this collection!

**Thank you BookSirens and Heather G. Marshall for sending this book for review. All opinions are my own.**

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read this book, pre-publication, and it is very easy to read. Sensory and emotional, the collection takes you away from the news and nonsense of our world and transports you to a simpler time and place. If you are a fan of Charlotte McConaghy, this book will resonate with you because of Marshall’s obvious love of nature, the sea, quiet places, and quieter times. She also honors the strength of women. This was the first short story collection I’d read in a long time and I’d forgotten how satisfying it is — in our busy world where screens constantly compete for our attention — to start and FINISH something. If you only have 20 minutes, you can succeed by reading one story! If you are a reader who has fallen out of the habit, this is a great way to jump back into reading.

[Chandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is absolutely the most beautiful and powerful collection of short stories I have ever read. These stories make one feel all of the feels. In Substrata, I was immediately transported back to my own childhood, enjoying the "free" of worry childhood. Until suddenly, I wasn't. I was jolted from my own memories of childhood into the horrific events of someone else's childhood, and I felt every bit of it.
In every story that followed, the range of emotions that these stories produce was as powerful and jolting as the first. I even learned a few things about puffins.


I received an advanced reader copy of this book and am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Stacey ˗ ღ ˎˊ˗ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Between Sea and Sky by Heather G. Marshall is a luminous collection of stories that move from Scotland to South Carolina, grounded in the deeply recognizable human experiences of love, family life, grief, aging, and our connection to the natural world. The roles of women, particularly mothers, are examined with nuance and care, including the rarely discussed impact of disrupted attachment through adoption. Themes of abuse and mental illness are treated with sensitivity, set against richly rendered landscapes that mirror the emotional terrain of the characters.

Marshall is a striking poetic talent, weaving a wide emotional range with remarkable precision and beauty. Her characters feel fully realized and relatable, moving fluidly through their stories with an ease that draws the reader in. I was both gently and firmly held by the rhythm of these worlds, not unlike the sea tides that recur throughout the collection. While I often struggle with short story collections, this one surprised me; I found myself turning pages eagerly, curious which facet of human existence would be explored next.

I cannot overstate how moved I am by Marshall’s talent. This is a collection of exceptional craft and emotional depth, and I can only hope it receives the recognition it deserves, including consideration for the Booker Prize.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily, with greatest thanks to the author and Vine Leaves Press.