Over the course of one summer that begins with a shocking tragedy, this debut novel features three generations of the Adler family grappling with heartbreak, romance, and the weight of family secrets.
It all starts when Florence Adler, a talented long distance swimmer training to cross the English Channel, has a terrible mishap. This is not a spoiler, it happens in the first few pages. Her mother Esther makes a decision to withhold the news from her other daughter Fannie who is in hospital being treated for a precarious pregnancy–at least until the baby is born. As the story unfolds and the secrets become harder to keep, and other secrets float to the surface, the Adler family finds out just how far they are willing to go to protect the ones they love.
Just when I thought it was all a bit implausible, I finished it and found out it was actually based on a true story about the author’s great-great aunt! That raised the level for me. The characters felt a bit flat at the beginning but they did grow on me and seven year old Gussie clearly steals the show. It’s a cozy quiet read with a major moral dilemma at its centre–a good choice for book clubs for the discussion it could generate.
Joanne's Reading Blog 