cover image A Summer for Always

A Summer for Always

Laura A. Sonnenmark. Avon Books, $3.99 (160pp) ISBN 978-0-380-78028-0

Marty's 16th summer is anything but sunny, even though she is on vacation in an idyllic spot on the Maine coast. Her parents have recently divorced but her father has already remarried. Angry and depressed, Marty's mother divides her time between drinking wine and sleeping, leaving her kids mostly on their own. Tim, Marty's younger brother, takes up with the family next door, while Marty, hell-bent on keeping her mother's condition a secret, simultaneously resists and relishes the attentions of Michael, a just about too-good-to-be-true local teenager. Though her plot could easily play out as either melodrama or predictable summer romance, Sonnenmark (The Lie) instead shapes a balanced, affecting tale, even if the dialogue (especially between the sparring would-be sweethearts) occasionally seems tidy and rehearsed. In the end, Marty takes charge, salvaging her relationship with Michael and convincing her mother to seek professional help. But is it the end? A rather abrupt ending leaves the hint of a sequel in the salty Maine air. Ages 12-up. (Dec.)