Summer People

I often choose books based on the cover, and it doesn't always work out for me. This time, however, it most certainly did. I expected Summer People to be a relatively light read, full of pretty people doing what wealthy pretty people do. And, well, there's some of that. But, what I didn't expect to find was a depth to the story that I so keenly related to. Groh puts words to the emotions, fears, hopes, and uncertainties that most of us have felt, certainly that I have felt, in navigating my way through this world. He even nails the absurd irrationalities that we have all felt in the midst of newly formed infatuation. Groh has the rare ability to break your heart and make you laugh out loud at the same time. I've never written a review before, but I got online to buy another copy of this book for my sister and simply couldn't resist spreading the good word. Read this novel. Its beauty and thoughtfulness will linger long after the last page.

There are few novels that suprise me, really suprise me, in a good way, but this was one of those novels. When I saw the cover and read the quote on the back, I was expecting a sort of beach book that's fun but that you forget about a few days after you read it. And this isn't that kind of book. The main character of Nathan is a young man, a comic book artist, who seems very real to me. He can act youthfully selfish and naive, but he can also be sensitive to people's suffering, and he seems very interested in discovering the best, most worthwhile life for him to lead. Maybe all of this would be a little heavy if it weren't for the novel's humor. It's not slap-your-thigh, haw haw haw, oh my stars kind of funny, except for maybe one scene, but it's written with the kind of dry, low-key sense of humor that makes me smile. It's possible, I suppose, that you could be disappointed that this isn't a totally light beach read, but I loved this novel, and at the end of it I felt like it was probably worth even a little bit more of my time.

Brian Groh's Summer People is a thoroughly engaging story of a young man's coming of age. As we meet Nathan, he is haunted by his mother's death, chafing under a strained relationship with his father, and reeling from his girlfriend Sophie's sudden defection. He begins his duties as Ellen's caretaker wounded and distraught, and we feel for him. As Ellen, an aging doyenne of the affluent country club set, sinks into the self-absorbed miasma of dementia, her erratic actions threaten Nathan's already tenuous status in this elite summer community. Fortunately Nathan connects with Eldwin, an upbeat but alcoholic minister beset with family problems, and with Leah, nanny for Eldwin's children, the enchanting albeit often thoughtlessly cruel object of his affection. As the novel progresses, we are drawn to Nathan as he struggles with his insecurities over his talent as a graphic novelist, the vagaries of his love life, and uncertainties about his future, not to mention the daily challenges of caring for an elderly lady whose current needs and past exploits are more complex than he anticipated. Packed with action (a fire, fight, near death by drowning) but balanced with thought provoking, insightful discussions of friendship and happiness, Summer People is a great read. I look forward to a sequel.

This is a gem of a book. My only regret is that I didn't save this book for my summer vacation on the beach. Brian Groh does a very compelling job of whisking the reader into the rarified world of blue-blooded, aristocratic Maine. His character, an aspiring comic-book writer from Ohio, leaves his humdrum life to take care of an elderly woman who lives in this Maine community. The woman, it turns out, is going crazy. The main character knows he should get her out of there, but he is reluctant to do so because he falls in love with this beautiful young woman whom he doesn't want to leave. This is one of the most compelling coming of age stories that I have read in a very long time. Groh writes beautifully. You can't go wrong with this book.

This book has the rich character portraits of literary fiction, giving readers a human drama (and a class drama) that transcends the particulars of the book. The particulars, though, are juicy--an upscale town where our hero, Nathan, is a distinct outsider; generational tension as Nathan tries to care for his aging employer; competition for a lady who's torn between Nathan (a comic book illustrator and college drop-out) and a well-heeled rival; lush settings on the Maine coast. Groh handles these moving parts skillfully, creating a page-turner with plenty of urgency and bigger cultural themes that linger in the mind after the final chapter.