The House on Salt Hay Road

This unremarkable first novel charts a dissolving family of two parentless children, an uncle full of regret, and a stifled aunt. It's 1937 in rural Long Island, and the inhabitants of Fire Island rush into the streets after the explosion of a nearby fireworks factory. Not long after, an equally strong psychological chemistry erupts: a train from Boston brings the mysterious, charming Robert into 19-year-old orphan Nancy's life. When she impulsively decides to marry him, her choice evokes feelings of betrayal from her aunt, uncle, and younger brother. While Nancy finds disappointment in the big city, her brother, Clayton, goes astray without his sister's guidance; aunt Mavis deals with the husband she separated from years ago; and uncle Roy muses over his only marriage bid, which ended tragically. A rendezvous with history—in the form of the hurricane of 1938—gives this family one last chance at survival. Despite the occasional deft touch, this novel is indistinctive, and the various plot lines fail to resonate with one another on more than superficial levels, leaving it to read much like a workshop project in search of inspiration. (June)