CBR15 BINGO (You Are Here square: Parts of the book take place in coastal Maine and I read the book while I was visiting the area.)
I can fall into a good story fairly easily, but there is something to be said about reading a book in its actual setting. A little sea air and waves crashing against rocky cliffs? Summer reading heaven.
This novel spans three generations of the Miltons, an “old money” family in New York who went on to build an empire in investment banking. It floats back and forth in time between the late 30s, the late 50s, and the present day, weaving through the generations from matriarch, Kitty, to her children and grandchildren. At the core of the story is their island and summer house in Penobscot Bay. A touchstone for everyone in the family, the house full of decades of summer memories is now in disrepair and family funds set aside for its care are dwindling. When the last of Kitty’s children dies, the house is left to her 4 adult grandchildren who must decide if they want to keep the island or sell. Tangled in the mess are the strained relationship and opposing deathbed wishes of Kitty’s daughters that put their children at odds with one another.
Sweeping through World War II before U.S. involvement, the burgeoning civil rights movement of the 50s and 60s, and onto the present day, Blake explores privilege, systemic racism, and silent complicity. Are you everything that you have inherited? Do the sins of your parents become your legacy?
As I mentioned, this made for a great summer read. Well-developed, complex characters grappling with the consequences of their choices and of those who came before them.