The Wild Beneath

AUGUST 2026 REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK "If you love immersive, magical stories with unforgettable settings and books that spark great conversations, I think you're really going to love this one." -Reese Witherspoon "Ethereal. . . . A story that reminds us sometimes the impossible is possible." -Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author of By Any Other Name "An entrancing, magical novel that highlights the beauty of the natural world and our fragile place within it. Spellbinding!" -Nita Prose, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Maid For fans of Wild Dark Shore and Remarkably Bright Creatures, a love story as fierce and mysterious as the sea itself. Annie MacLeod always knew she was different, growing up on a sailboat in the Pacific Northwest, navigating by the stars and swimming in the ocean. But when a tsunami shatters her world and her parents are swept away, Annie is stranded on land, grief-stricken and forced to confront just how unconventional she is, despite her enduring love for her childhood sweetheart, Evan. In the wreckage, she rescues a wordless man named Walker, who emits a hum only she can hear. Their connection is instant, elemental. When Walker disappears-along with any explanation he might hold about who she really is-Annie is forced to decide between evacuating with Evan or staying to unlock a secret that feels vital to her survival. Six years later, Annie has buried the past. But when Walker's otherworldly sound returns, it forces a reckoning with the wild life she's left behind. Is the truth of the ocean more powerful than she knows? The Wild Beneath is a spellbinding story of soulmates, homecoming and the ancient bonds that tie us all to the natural world.

Dr. Kelly Anderson is a family physician with fellowships in HIV and emergency medicine. After completing the Bookends novel revision program, she trained in the Gateless Writing Academy and is a certified Gateless writing teacher. Kelly spent much of her childhood in British Columbia, and now lives in Guelph, Ontario with her family. The Wild Beneath is her first novel.