Orcas Island Public Library and Darvill’s Bookstore are proud to present a special book launch for “At Last,” the latest novel by New York Times bestselling author Marisa Silver.

Space is limited — arrive early to ensure your spot: Thursday, Sept. 4 at 5:30 p.m. at Darvill’s Bookstore. Enjoy light refreshments, a moderated conversation between Silver and island author Ayn Gailey, book signing and camaraderie.

Silver is an acclaimed contemporary novelist whose works include “At Last”; “The Mysteries”; “Little Nothing” (a New York Times Editor’s Choice); “Mary Coin” (a New York Times bestseller and winner of the Southern California Independent Bookseller’s Award); “The God of War” (a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize); and “No Direction Home.” Her story collections include “Alone With You” and “Babe in Paradise,” a New York Times Notable Book of the Year and a Los Angeles Times Best Book of the Year.

Her short fiction has won the O. Henry Prize, been included in The Best American Short Stories and appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic and many other publications. Silver is the recipient of fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers at The New York Public Library.

Silver and her husband, film and television director Ken Kwapis, first visited Orcas in 2004 at the invitation of longtime islander and dear friend Dennie Gordon, also a film and television director.

“We were immediately captivated — how could we not be?” Silver recalls. “We came back after another 10 years for a longer vacation and were equally smitten. Another 10 years passed, and we decided to take the plunge and buy a home here. Being captivated turned into being smitten, and being smitten turned into falling in love.”

Since buying their home in 2022, the couple has spent summers on the island and is now beginning to enjoy the winter season here as well.

Kwapis has been directing film and television for more than 40 years. Their son Henry is a Los Angeles–based music producer and drummer, while their son Oliver is completing his Ph.D. in music composition at the University of Oregon.

“When we bought our home here in 2022, we knew one person on the island,” Silver says. “It’s 2025, and we feel like we have a community. The sense of warmth and welcome we’ve received has been so heartening. The chamber music festival is wonderful, and the Library Fair might be one of my favorite events of the calendar year!”

This event is presented in collaboration with Orcas Island Public Library and Darvill’s Bookstore, with support from HALO.