The Elements: A Novel

Vanessa Carvin arrives on a small, isolated island off the coast of western Ireland where she rents an austere cottage. She immediately shaves her head and changes her name to Willow Hale to escape the public eye; Willow is her middle name and Hale her maiden name.

Her ex-husband, Brendan Carvin, is embroiled in a scandal related to his work at the swimming federation: He is accused of sexually abusing eight young girls. A cat enters the cottage, surprising Vanessa, though it seems hostile toward her trespassing on its territory. Vanessa thinks of her two daughters, Emma and Rebecca. Emma died by suicide, and when Vanessa tries to message Rebecca, Rebecca blocks her.

As Vanessa explores the island, the townspeople question why she came to the island. She meets Ifechi, the local Catholic priest, from Nigeria. He invites her to his church, but she refuses, saying that though her family often attended services, she is not religious. Brendan was the one that made them go, before the scandal. Later that night, as she sits in bed, Vanessa thinks about God, and how her life falls apart, wondering if her life could get worse.