The Last Summer (of You and Me) – Ann Brashares
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Author’s First Adult Novel
Twenty one year old Alice has spent the summers of her life on Fire Island with her parents and older sister, Riley. She grew up there with sister Riley and Riley's best friend Paul, and this summer the threesome will be reunited.
Paul is returning to the island for business rather than pleasure -- his father has died and his mother is away, and he must decide whether to sell his family's sizeable beachfront house there.
Riley, who, at 24, never truly adapted herself into adulthood, is spending the summer at her long-time lifeguard position with other workers much younger than her. Her friends her own age have since moved on, yet she has stayed close to the island and her life there.
Alice, always the good girl, is returning to the island and looking forward to fall, when she will dutifully begin attending law school – because it’s the next step and seemed right, not out of desire to become a lawyer.
A Secret Relationship Develops
This summer is different for Paul and Alice, when, after a two year hiatus, Paul returns and suddenly sees Alice in a new light. Alice had always loved Paul, but this year he realizes that he has romantic feelings for her as well. They begin a relationship behind Riley’s back, testing the bonds of sisterhood and friendship as they change the dynamic of their relationships.
A Change of Plans
When Riley suddenly becomes sick, she makes Alice promise not to tell Paul – she can’t face having that relationship change. Alice agrees, and her relationship with Paul subsequently falls apart. She ducks his questions and avoids him, spending the days at the hospital while he sits in his family’s house next door and wonders what he did wrong.
Returning to the Past
Alice returns to the island the following summer, to prepare her own parents’ house to be put up for sale. She finds solace in the everyday tasks and in the regular lapping of waves hitting the beach. It’s there that she runs into Paul again, and has a chance to tell him the things she hadn’t been able to say.
While the book was a quick read, fans of the Sisterhood series may find this book less entertaining. Character development was minimal, and the plot sometimes difficult to believe.
About the Author
Ann Brashares is the author of the young adult novels The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, The Second Summer of the Sisterhood, Girls in Pants, and Forever in Blue. The series has made her one of the most successful contemporary authors, shipping more than 8 million copies over the last five years and winning even more millions of passionate fans. The Last Summer (of You and Me) is her first novel for adults.
Brashares, Ann
The Last Summer (of You and Me)
New York, Penguin Group USA, May 6, 2008
