Summer at Coastguard Cottages

a rich tapestry of a tiny community, brought together by chance but bonding in support

The second title I’ve read from Bohnet, what strikes most obviously is the characters and their growth and transformation, even as they are in a ‘familiar to them’, at the Coastguard cottages. The cottages are four summer cabins, each owned by one of the four characters in the story: Bruce, Megan, Carrie and Guy, who all are having their own moments of crisis and hoping the setting will help them come to decisions. With insets from secondary characters, and plenty of soul-searching, the stretch for each to find their own new path while basking in the gorgeous coastal setting is a seemingly simple, yet decidedly complicated story. In all the best ways.

From coming to terms with life without his beloved wife, to the dissection of a marriage on the rocks, a search for a birth mother after a windfall from an unknown and unmet father to the simple task of healing, each character comes alive and palpable: allowing readers into their own lives, stories and struggles as they completely burrow into your heart and head. Who hasn’t had those moments of questioning: who you are, why you are there, just where should you go now? With gentle interactions and friendships renewed and rekindled, the characters each find answers and new determination to move forward, changing their trajectories or finding comfort in the old and familiar. Bohnet gives moments of engagement and insight into each character: allowing them to develop and grow, even as you find yourself worrying for them, cheering them on, or wondering just why they don’t do things your way. Easing readers into the story that doesn’t just focus on each character’s moments of trial or interior monologue, but allowing for the interactions and subtle insets of each person’s story to unfold, presenting a rich tapestry of a tiny community, brought together by chance but bonding in support, camaraderie and shared struggles.

Dialogue is natural and flows, with distinct voices of each coming through clearly: you feel the sorrow that weighs heavily on Bruce and Guy, feel Hazel’s frustrations, understand the tentative approach to the world that stands out from Megan as she struggles with redefining herself as wife or divorce, and then there is Carrie. Adopted and now searching to discover her beginning without the worry of money from an unexpected inheritance, her voice shows the questions as she works to define herself with the newfound knowledge and unending questions she has lived with forever. A wonderful read that shows that taking time to truly discover yourself in a setting that is familiar yet different from your everyday can help you to grow, discover and decide on your next moments.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.