{"product_id":"grafting-9781952143960","title":"Grafting","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA luminous debut novel about second chances, forbidden love, and the courage to cultivate beauty in unforgiving soil.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen Eben Turner returns to his family's apple orchard in rural Maine after his parents' death, he faces more than just the weight of inheritance--he confronts the love he left behind. A decade has passed since he and Chris Hartley, the Methodist minister's son, were torn apart in their final year of high school, their secret relationship severed by the forces of faith and small-town judgment. Now, as adults navigating the crossroads of identity and belonging, they must reckon with both their buried past and an uncertain future.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eSet against the Edenic beauty of New England, \u003ci\u003eGrafting\u003c\/i\u003e unfolds through dual perspectives in a lyrical narrative that mirrors the delicate art of joining two trees to create something stronger. As Eben and Chris work to understand how they came to be parted, they discover that healing requires more than forgiveness--it demands the courage to cultivate love in hostile ground.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis exquisite debut explores the cost of forbidden desire and the resilience required to claim one's authentic self. With prose as rooted and enduring as the heritage apple trees that anchor the story, \u003ci\u003eGrafting\u003c\/i\u003e asks whether two people can truly come home to each other after being forced apart by the very communities that shaped them.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eA voice-driven and unforgettable tale of queer love and rural identity, \u003ci\u003eGrafting\u003c\/i\u003e will resonate with readers who were moved by the sweeping emotion of \u003ci\u003eBrokeback Mountain\u003c\/i\u003e, the luminous prose of Ocean Vuong's \u003ci\u003eOn Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous\u003c\/i\u003e, and stories that find the sacred in the profane, the universal in the deeply personal.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Rylan Hynes\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Islandport Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 06\/02\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 328\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.75lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.41h x 5.51w x 1.01d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781952143960\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 05\/15\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eRylan Hynes (they\/them) and their work have been a finalist for Proximity's 2024 Essay Contest, the 2024 Maine Chapbook Series, Tin House's 2024 Summer Residency for Trans Writers, and longlisted for The Masters Review's 2023 Novel Excerpt Contest. Hynes has received multiple accolades from the Maine Writers \u0026amp; Publishers Alliance, such as a Martin Dibner Fellowship and an inaugural Maine Lit Fest Fellowship. Most recently, Hynes was a writer-in-residence at Monson Arts and they are an alum of the Tin House Workshop. Their debut novel, \u003ci\u003eGrafting\u003c\/i\u003e, is forthcoming from Islandport Press in spring of 2026.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHynes studied creative writing, theatre, and visual art at College of the Atlantic, and has worked at independent bookstores and publishers across the country. Currently Hynes serves on the Community Advisory Board for the Maine Writers \u0026amp; Publishers Alliance and is the Communications \u0026amp; Editorial Director at The Telling Room, a nationally recognized youth-serving creative writing nonprofit based in Portland, Maine. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen they aren't busy writing, Rylan enjoys spending time with their spouse, making art, and gardening. You can find their visual art on display at the Michel Paul Artist Studio in Hallowell, Maine.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"booksdeli.com","offers":[{"title":"Rylan Hynes \/ Paperback \/ English","offer_id":48397149995165,"sku":"9781952143960","price":22.74,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0619\/5648\/9373\/files\/img_c0095101-61e3-47df-a209-144a5ba86867.jpg?v=1781074312","url":"https:\/\/booksdeli.com\/products\/grafting-9781952143960","provider":"booksdeli.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}