A love story of redemption and hope played out in a crazy-quilt town.
Who among us does not become an earthquake refugee in mind and heart, after a catastrophe shakes and changes us forevermore? Out of one man’s search for sanctuary from his past—and struggle to accept the gift of love and give it back—comes a poignant love story set in the wild heyday of 1950s Sausalito. Against the upswell of late 1950s Sausalito—artists, beats, bohemians, unforgettable locals like Sally Stanford, Alan Watts, Sterling Hayden, Jean Varda—Will Dumont seeks his shelter in the Earthquake Shack.
This beachfront cottage clad in mossy brown shingles was built as a house of refuge, beginning its existence in nearby San Francisco, after the 1906 earthquake. Resettled to Sausalito’s idyllic waterfront, it comes haunted. One lively spirit, and its original tenant, is a Barbary Coast piano man; another is a Miwok princess whose tribe once thrived on the same beach.
Will’s hopes of distancing himself from his past, however, are severely shaken by a headstrong artist named Maggie. She’s not only hellbent on defending the loose and easy waterfront life from those who would steal it away, she also offers Will the gift of love and a chance to recover from his personal earthquakes.
Out of Will’s struggle to find the means to accept that gift comes a poignant, lyric love story for those ready to be transported by a sense of place, the sweep of history, and a wild and crazy ride.
Praise for The Earthquake Shack
“A big novel about a little town. But Sausalito is a town like no other and Diedrichs weaves history and story into a celebration of Sausalito and life itself.”
—Susan Trott, author of Crane Spreads Wings and The Holy Man
“A breathtakingly kaleidoscopic portrait of the salt-sprayed world of Sausalito … a captivating love story about a place and its people.”—Landon Y. Jones, former editor of People magazine
“This is a terrific tale about one of the great chapters in San Francisco’s extraordinary history, the story of about a small community sprung up from the ashes of the great earthquake and fire. In a city of great neighborhoods—North Beach, Nob Hill, the Haight-Ashbury—these ‘temporary’ homes should find a permanent spot in our hearts.”
—James Dalessandro, author of 1906
“A page-turning ride across time and history, the earthquake shack is a mystical romp that paints a picture of times gone by with a bright brush. Infused with quirky characters and zany plot twists, you end up pleased, satisfied, and hungry for more. I put off reading the end of the book to hold onto its deliciousness.”
—Linda Joy Myers, author of Don’t Call Me Mother
