Summer People – Brian Groh

One recent summer day, I had a sudden craving to be reading an actual book. I had visions of reading in my back yard with a pleasant summer breeze keeping me cool, a cold drink on the side, as I enjoyed the summer reading experience. So what better way to fulfill this desire than to stop by the library. The only question is, what book to read?

I didn’t want a classic, or mystery, or science fiction – I wanted a light summer read. I did pick up a Ray Bradbury book (yes, a murder-mystery – see previous bookmark), but that wasn’t what I originally wanted, so I kept looking. Scanning the shelves I saw a title, Summer People, and thought, “Sounds perfect!” I scanned the book and decided it would work.

And indeed, it was a light, casual summer read. It is about a young man who gets hired to accompany an elderly woman to her summer home in Maine. It is his story of gaining a bit of maturity through the things that he deals with during his stay. Any guy who has ever been a young twenty-something year old can relate to at least some of what he goes through.

With some of the extreme things that happen one might expect a grander denouement, but instead is handled more like taking things in stride. Perhaps that is more real to life but it doesn’t generate a great deal of emotion.

In the end this book fulfilled its purpose. I wouldn’t have lost any sleep over never having read it, but it scratched that summer reading itch.

Finished 7/20/17