The witty, sparkling novel Rough Guys written by Elizabeth Gilbert is full of unusual friendships and family bonds that capture the fierce American nature through this unforgettable heroine who defies herself destined for size.

On two lonely islands off the coast of Maine, local lobstermen have fought for generations for the right to fish in the waters that divide the two islands. Ruth Thomas is already born into this enmity and animosity as the daughter of one of Maine's greediest lobstermen. Eighteen-year-old Ruth, sharp-witted and incorrigibly unromantic, returns home from boarding school determined to throw her education overboard and join the "tough guys" on the lobster boats. As disputes escalate, she helps out with lobster fishing, hones her swagger, and discovers that she has fallen in love with a young fisherman.

The exceptional debut of the bestselling author of the memoirs Eat, Meditate, Love and For Better and for Worse.