A warm June evening, a local tradition: the students of Nantucket High have gathered for a bonfire on the beach. What begins as a graduation night celebration ends in tragedy after a horrible car crash leaves the driver, Penny Alistair, dead and her twin brother in a coma. The other passengers, Penny's boyfriend, Jake, and her friend Demeter, are physically unhurt--but the emotional damage is overwhelming. Questions linger about what happened before Penny took the wheel.
As summer unfolds, startling truths are revealed about the survivors and their parents--secrets kept, promises broken, hearts betrayed. Elin Hilderbrand explores the power of community, family, and honesty, and proves that even from the ashes of sorrow new love can take flight.
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Family. Love. Friendships. Secrets.
Ever since I started reading Elin Hilderbrand books a few years ago, I fell in love with the Nantucket world. I cannot get enough of it. Summerland is different from her other books that I have read, and that's what I loved about it. The story focuses on Jake, Demeter, Hobson, and their family's aftermath of the accident. I enjoyed that the story is told from the parent's and the teenager's point of view. You find yourself wondering if it was an accident or did Penny was speeding and crashed on purpose through most of the book. Based on the flashbacks of Penny, she seemed fragile because of how easily upset she would get. Of course, I couldn't help but wonder if she got upset about something, enough that she caused a crash. I cannot even begin to imagine losing a child this way. I was glad that Hobson made it through it; or I don't think that Zoe would make it through this.
Summerland had a bit of both drama and a thriller in the mix. That was one of the reasons that I had trouble putting down. It seemed as if all of them were keeping a secret. As a reader, you couldn't help but wonder if that secret was going to get discovered. Each of the characters has so much emotion, and they reacted so differently to the tragedy. I knew that it was the hardest on Zoe, but from reading Jake, Demeter, and Hobson's point of view, I saw how brutal Penny's death was on them. I did get the feeling that Demeter blamed herself the most for Penny's death because of what she said to her before the crash. I wondered what she said to her, but the truth wasn't what I expected to be. I wonder if Penny could not handle the truth and if it was the reason behind the crash. There were so many emotions going through me, from the beginning to the end.
Summerland isn't a book that you will be able to forget. I was thinking about the book long after I finished it. I even recommended it to a few of my friends. I feel as if it deserves more than five stars. I have read books about tragedy and aftermath after the tragedy, but it was unlike this one. I could feel all of the emotions, all of the pain. It was as if Penny was my friend, and I was going through all the stages of grief along with everyone. I would highly recommend this book.
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