Summer Shift
A Novel
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4.0 • 1 Rating
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- $15.99
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
Forty-four-year-old Cape Cod clam bar owner Mary Hopkins is stuck in the cycle of her seasonal business; overwhelmed by the relentless influx of new names and fresh young faces, she feels as if life is passing her by.
In the first days of the summer season, a young waitress’s tragic accident stirs up unresolved pain from Mary’s past, leaving her longing for connection. At the same time, Mary’s life is further upended as she begins to suspect her beloved great-aunt, the one person in the world who loves her unconditionally, is descending into Alzheimer’s disease. Then, in walks Dan, a lost love—perhaps the greatest of her life— returning to the Cape after disappearing years before without an explanation. As Mary faces these challenges and losses, it’s her rekindled romance with Dan and her burgeoning unlikely friendships with a warm, eccentric collection of local characters that keep her afloat.
Set against the backdrop of Cape Cod sand, sun, and seafood, Summer Shift is the story of a woman’s struggle to find the peace, love, and human connection that have eluded her for decades.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
After her debut, Some Assembly Required, Bonasia once again mines her Cape Cod upbringing with a cast of coastal smalltown characters. Mary Hopkins is the owner of the Clambake, a typical Cape seafood restaurant whose business ebbs and flows with the summer crowd. The middle-aged Mary has pulled away from people since the death of her husband years before, remaining close only to her great-aunt, Lovey, her last remaining relative. When a summer waitress dies in a tragic car accident, Mary is left with uncomfortably familiar feelings of guilt and remorse, and Aunt Lovey s rapid deterioration from Alzheimer s pushes Mary to the limit. She is feeling completely alone when her ex, Dan Bassett, walks back into her life after a 12-year absence. She welcomes his support, but the relationship also unearths a secret about her marriage. As she makes her way through the summer, Mary finds strength and compassion in the unlikeliest of places: the grandmother of the deceased waitress, her aging neighbor, and even her crew of young summer employees. Bonasia delivers a delightful, if elementary and predictable, story of redemption and love.
