The Ghosts of Gadus Island: A Story of Young Love, Loss, and the Order of Nature

by David H. Roper

In the small village in Downeast Maine, the locals call him ‘Tarzan,’ a strange acting teenager who has lived his whole life on remote Gadus Island. In 1967, when 18-year-old Cleo and her archeologist grandfather sail to Gadus in search of artifacts of the mysterious Red Paint People, Cleo encounters something much more alluring than a bright, strikingly good looking, self-educated, but socially illiterate boy. Cleo learns that his squatter parents disappeared many months before, but he has told no one, fearful of being removed from his beloved island. Over the next three days as their worlds converge, his increasingly delusional behavior begins to frighten and then sadden Cleo. When she tries to help him cope, sharing the loss of her own mother, they come together in a way neither thought possible. But when he reveals a terrifying secret, Cleo is forced into a life-changing decision.

147 pages, Paperback

Published September 24, 2023

About the author

David’s new novel, Rosie, debuted in April 2026. Set against the raw beauty of the Maine coast, Rosie is the story of how a young girl’s hope for the father she never had and a broken man’s past come together on a journey through grief, love, and redemption.
Watching for Mermaids, David Roper’s collection of stories and essays, was a three-time Boston Globe Bestseller. His earlier works include Beyond Mermaids, Rounding the Bend…The Life and Times of Big Red, and The Ghosts of Gadus Island. David also co-wrote the screenplay for Rounding the Bend, after it was optioned for a film.
David’s non-fiction work includes Getting the Job You Want Now!, published by Warner Books. He is a regular columnist for Points East Magazine and has been a featured writer in Cruising World, Lakeland Boating, Sail, Boating, Sailing, Reader’s Digest, and The Wall Street Journal's National Business Employment Weekly.
David was a three-time Best of Show fiction winner of the Marblehead Festival of Art Writers World. His work has been published in eighteen languages, including Mandarin, French, German, Dutch and Hungarian.
In his twenties, his primary residence was the home-built houseboat Dave’s Ark, moored eternally under a bridge in St. Paul, Minnesota. After obtaining his Coast Guard Masters License at age 27, he served as captain of a 135’ Mississippi River paddlewheel cruise ship. This was his inspiration for the novel Rounding the Bend.
In 1982 he founded A-Script, a career advisory and resume writing firm in Marblehead, MA, which he has run for the past forty years.
Contact: davidroper00@gmail.com
Writing Website (books & archived published writing): http://roperbooks.com/

Reviews

[Andrew Benson]

Quick page turner that I read in one day. Set in the state of Maine, the author does a great job describing the maritime feel culture in New England. Most interestingly, was the author’s mastery of capturing the influence of parental and grandparental relationships.

[Melissa]

I really wish this were a true love story. It was captivating. Amongst all the sailing terminology, my favorite quote from the book states “beyond the fog is clarity.” There’s so much meaning behind that quote.