The Gulf of Lions

In Shetterly’s breezy sequel to Pete and Alice in Maine, magazine writer Alice attempts to move on after her husband Pete’s infidelity, while recovering from cancer treatment. Accompanied by her daughters—angsty 13-year-old Sophie,and sensitive eight-year-old Iris—she travels to France, where she’s been commissioned by a magazine to write a story about camping. A tale of roughing it this is not—though the trio do occasionally pitch a tent, they spend most of their time sleeping in comfy rooms, swimming, and sampling luscious cuisine, while Alice falls for a hunky innkeeper. Though Shetterly dutifully divides her attention among the four family members, including a small section on Pete plodding along back home, this is primarily a story of Alice’s midlife crisis. A late drama involving Sophie seems tacked on for the sake of suspense, and Shetterly’s depiction of Alice can feel muddled, as when she attempts to elicit sympathy for Alice without examining the character’s tendency to neglect her daughters while out having fun. Shetterly is at her best when describing with affection and pleasure the food, scenery, and cheerfully welcoming residents of France. Flaws aside, this offers an inviting view into a lovingly evoked setting. (May)