Coastwatch, Autumn 1997
When Todd Field runs away from his family's Duplin County tobacco farm in 1975, he heads for the coast and lands in Southport. Soon after arriving, he is hired as a mate in a charter fishing boat, beginning a life of self-discovery and adventure at sea. The reader is taken along on fishing expeditions and seashore walks, through shipwrecks and hurricanes, and into the nightlife of the Carolina coast. Through it all, Norvell provides often magical descriptions of the coastal landscape, particularly of a moonlit turtle hatching on Bald Head Island.
Todd tells his story in a simple and honest voice and is a likable character who transforms from a teenager adrift to a man solidly grounded. Early in life, he must deal not only with the lasting damage of abuse but also with the enormous task of making a way for himself with few resources. He is offered many second chances for love and respect—from others and himself. But it isn't until he faces a personal crisis after starting a family that Todd, in his 30s, fully understands the virtue of a second chance.