After her boat capsizes, Nine-year old Nefele is washed up on the Floating Forest, an infamous mythical prison-island, holding onto her father's corpse and with little chance to survive in the wild. It appears miraculous that a herd of native elks guide her to a tree house, filled with all she needs to survive, as well as plenty of books. As the years pass, Nefele gradually loses her identity to the secrets of the Floating Forest, but the transition is interrupted by the arrival of a second castaway. Nefele must choose between the witch she wishes to be, straight out of a fairytale, and the real, living person she actually is. Inspired by the mythical prison island Aeaea, The Castaway and the Witch combines coming of age and romance with a dream-like storyline filled with symbolism and insight. Praise for The Castaway and the Witch: "A haunting and thought-provoking twist on the fairytale narrative. Must we be only what others have foretold and experienced? Or can we make our own stories, flawed and complex as we are..." -- Shauna Lawless, author of the critically acclaimed Gael Song series. "Captivating from the first page, this is a story about growing up and growing wise, a book-love story as harrowing as it is tender. With a touch of Piranesi, an undercurrent of fairy tales, and an ancestry of Greek myth, The Castaway and the Witch is a beautiful, deeply moving book." -- Natalia Theodoridou, Nebula and World Fantasy Award-winning author of Sour Cherry