The Guest Book by Sarah Blake (FIC Bla)

The story of three generations told back and forth in time.

In 1936 and a year after the sudden and tragic death of their oldest son, Kitty and Ogden Milton buy an island off the coast of Maine with a house on it.  They return, with their children, to the Island year after year.  It becomes the anchor for their family and friends.

In 1959, their youngest daughter, Evelyn, is about to be married.  Their oldest daughter, Joan, meets and falls in love with a man not of their "kind" (meaning East coast white upper class privilege).  He is, in fact, Jewish, and his best friend is African American.  And their oldest son, Moss, is struggling to find his way.  All of these people end up on the Island to celebrate Evelyn's impending marriage and nothing is the same after.

In 2019, Evie, Joan's only child, mourns the passing of her mother.  Suddenly she is confronted by all she doesn't know about not only her mother's past but, in many ways, her own.  And now she and her five cousins must decide whether they can afford to keep the Island or if they must sell it.

I liked this book almost in spite of itself.  The tone is moody and contemplative and thoughtful.  There were times when I wanted to shout at the characters and tell them to just get over themselves and move on.  There's a lot of talk about what makes "us", well, "us".  I realized in reading this that in many ways our society has not moved on from long held prejudices but that, in the end, there is hope.  I'm curious now about the author's other books.