[1] It's based on the historical record of when "Maine forcibly removed all residents of a mixed-race fishing community on a small island off the coast of Phippsburg in 1912.

"[2] Harding began the earliest version of the novel by writing a scene featuring Mrs. Hale, a character from his novel Enon.

[3] In the scene, Mrs. Hale and members of her family sit in a meadow, and observe an unknown person, inspired by a Charles Ethan Porter painting.

[5] In a review published by the Financial Times, Catherine Taylor also praised Harding's writing.

[6] Writing for The Los Angeles Times, Mark Athitakis compared the book unfavorably to Harding's previous works.