Washed Ashore

The story of a man coming into his own by coming home.

Since he was a boy, Bill Eville knew he wanted two things in life: to be a writer and a father. Being a minister’s husband had not been on this list, having left the church as a teenager as soon as his parents stopped making him go each Sunday.

In Washed Ashore, Eville’s life changes when his wife Cathlin takes a job as the first female pastor of a 350-year-old church on Martha’s Vineyard, the island that was once home to generations of his ancestors. With their two small children in tow, the couple begins a new life eight miles out at sea.

Readers follow Eville’s journey from stay-at-home-dad to newspaper editor as he discovers what it means to be a writer, a father, and—after his wife’s devastating breast cancer diagnosis—what it truly means to be a minister’s husband. Washed Ashore, told in a series of linked essays, is poignant and funny, filled with faith, struggle, and light.

Critical Praise for The Orchard

“In writing about the sweet and bitter particulars of his corner of the world , Eville has written a book about life itself.” —Minneapolis Star Tribune

 “A genuine memoir of a family man who continues to evolve, whether by will or by force. Bill Eville’s forthrightness is refreshing and painfully funny, making this book a joy to read.” —Booklist

 “A sensitive portrait of one family’s struggles with illness.” —Kirkus

“Well-crafted . . . realistic and poignant . . . Eville’s journey will be a familiar one to many readers who struggle to find meaning in their day-to-day existence and their ability to conquer any threats against it.” —Library Journal

"I love Bill Eville’s writing because he often leads us through time and place, so skillfully that we don’t realize how much area he covers." —Kathleen Burge, WBUR

Advance Praise for The Orchard

“Here is life: rich, raw, glorious and complicated. Bill Eville’s experiences are at once singular—married to a minister, living on an island—but also universal. In this memoir, he writes about his ordinary, extraordinary existence with warmth, wit, elegance and heart.” —Geraldine Brooks, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of March

“A touching and heartfelt memoir that explores parenting, love, illness and faith with buoyancy and hope. Like a visit to the Vineyard, it stays with you for a long time.” —Gary Shteyngart, author of Our Country Friends

“There are few writers—people, in general—who can make us acutely aware that the very guts of our lives are constantly spilling out of us. It is the even rarer human-writer who can help us curate those hurts and joys and passions, to organize the unorganizable. Bill Eville is such a writer and Washed Ashore is a book I will never forget. It will make you appreciate your own life, and I'm not sure there is much more we can ask a book to do.” —Lisa Taddeo, author of Three Women

“Storytelling takes creativity. But memoir requires courage. With creativity, courage, and vulnerability, Bill Eville holds up a mirror to himself—and in the process helps us all see a little piece of ourselves. He is still on the journey to home, still evolving. But through these pages shines the bright light of a great husband, a great father, and for me personally, a great friend!” —U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock