Some obsessions start not with a touch, but with a view. That's what struck me first, in Tim's hand, on the first page of his leather journal. Found in 2015 during a cleaning in Montauk, it contained a battered journal and yellowed letters tied with blue silk. The journal revealed a careful, obsessive confession, while the letters, addressed to an unknown recipient, hinted at a secret love spanning decades-timeless, hidden, and ultimately revealed through a last, unmailed letter. Montauk kept their secret until the house changed hands. If you're on this beach, listen for the ocean; it knows all the secrets.
Editor's Choice:
Montauk's Forbidden Beach House
by T. Grant Wilder
A masterful piece of confessional, erotic fiction.
This novel does more than reveal a secret-it breathes life into it.
T. Grant Wilder's debut stands out as an exceptional work of literary erotica, offering a story so honest and meticulously crafted that it redefines the genre. Central to the narrative is a tribute to the enduring power of forbidden desire.
This isn't merely a romance; it's an expertly crafted "found document" that uncovers an affair discovered decades later, written in the frantic handwriting of two men caught between duty and honesty. Through alternating journals and unsent letters, Wilder builds a world full of tense anticipation, with a lonely Montauk beach house standing silently as a witness to years of clandestine weekends.
Wilder excels at slow, deliberate development, where each touch is forbidden and every whispered word entails risk. The vivid prose transforms the setting into a character itself, blending ocean, wind, and storm into the emotional fabric of the characters' longing hearts. The novel explores the high price of becoming the "kind of man" you never imagined you'd be.
Montauk's Forbidden Beach House is a must-read for those who understand that true love often involves more risk than safety, and the lingering ache it leaves. It's a bold, fearless debut that shows some secrets refuse to fade, instead settling "into wood and waits".
A powerful story of unforgettable love and profound impact.