Book Report: Nantucket Nights by Elin Hilderbrand

Nantucket Nights, by Elin Hilderbrand, should probably be called something like "People Who Want to Go to Jail." Like Castaways, the other Hilderbrand book I recently read, Nights begins with the drowning of someone who's part of a close circle of friends. Well, at least we think she drowned. Kayla, Val, and Antoinette (the missing one) are part of the Night Swimmers club, which means that they meet at the beach every Labor Day at midnight to drink champagne, eat lobster, and swim naked, all of which I found more than a little disturbing. On this particular Labor Day, Antoinette dances into the ocean (she's a ballerina of a reclusive and suicidal bent) and never comes out, unlocking a veritable Pandora's box of secrets that - wait for it - tears the two survivors and their families apart.

All snarkiness aside, the story was pretty compelling, a real page turner. But the recklessness of the characters made me cringe. (Here's where the "People Who Want to Go to Jail" part comes in.) They destroy evidence, assault cops, trespass upon crime scenes, and incriminate each other during police interrogations. As someone who breaks out in a sweat at the mere sight of a police car behind me, I wanted them to knock it off before they'd have to wear orange jumpsuits for life.

As for the ending, it's strange yet not unexpected. It's also a little dissatisfying. Although I "got it," I felt that too many loose threads remained. But the book was still entertaining in a racy beach read sort of way, and I'll probably go on to read the rest of Hilderbrand's titles.

Book Report: The Castaways by Elin Hilderbrand

Some novels use characters as props, never plumbing the depths of their personalities to reveal their greatest fears, their biggest regrets, or even what they like to eat for dinner. The Castaways, by Elin Hilderbrand, is a tale that unabashedly plumbs. The story is about the Castaways, a group of four close-knit Nantucket couples, one of which dies in a boating accident. Each of the friends takes turns discussing the incident in his or her own distinctive voice, revealing secrets that both complicate and illuminate the tragedy. The Castaways has a dark, soap operatic quality not unlike that of "Desperate Housewives" in the good old days. The characters are the kind of people you'd run into at the supermarket or at PTA meetings; well-meaning and idiosyncratic and protective of their shadows. The small-town island setting lends intimacy, quietly reminding us that each character is an island with problems isolating himself or herself from the others. Yet to solve the mystery and move on with their lives, each must band together like any castaways bent on survival. Striking a balance between literary symbolism and everyday life, The Castaways delivers an enriching tale that will resonate with readers long after they've shaken the sand from their beach towels.