My Kind of People
Fiction
Atria Books
May 12, 2020
Advanced reader copy
352
Free from publisher
On Ichabod Island, a jagged strip of land thirteen miles off the coast of Massachusetts, ten-year-old Sky becomes an orphan for the second time after a tragic accident claims the lives of her adoptive parents.
Grieving the death of his best friends, Leo’s life is turned upside down when he finds himself the guardian of young Sky. Back on the island and struggling to balance his new responsibilities and his marriage to his husband, Leo is supported by a powerful community of neighbors, many of them harboring secrets of their own.
Maggie, who helps with Sky’s childcare, has hit a breaking point with her police chief husband, who becomes embroiled in a local scandal. Her best friend Agnes, the island busybody, invites Sky’s estranged grandmother to stay for the summer, straining already precarious relationships. Their neighbor Joe struggles with whether to tell all was not well in Sky’s house in the months leading up to the accident. And among them all is a mysterious woman, drawn to Ichabod to fulfill a dying wish.
My review:
I've read this author's two previous novels, and this one, just as with her other books, shows her strength is in her characters. She does a fabulous job of taking you into their lives and giving you all the feels, as if you are a part of their day to day journeys. Of course these journeys include lots of secrets and angst, and she portrays their thoughts and feelings to capture your emotional connection to them. I really. enjoyed looking into the daily lives of this small town island community. There are several subplots going on that deal with friendships, infidelity, marital strife, loss, and the ultimate plot of what makes a family? A few interesting twists thrown in, one that was easy to predict, the others not as obvious. My only negative was that I felt the ending was just a bit too pollyannish, If things all end up too perfect, it's not as believable to me as when there are a few disappointments along the way.
Definitely a worthy read for the strong characters, the interesting storylines, and the unorthodox look into the modern makeup of families.
I love when I can get sucked into the lives of the characters. Shame about the ending being too neat.