With a rare combination of emotional insight, narrative power, and
lyrical grace, Justin Cronin transforms the simple story of a dying
man's last wish into a rich tapestry of family love.
"A work of art . . . a great American novel."--The Philadelphia
Inquirer
On an evening in late summer, the great financier Harry Wainwright,
nearing the end of his life, arrives at a rustic fishing camp in a
remote area of Maine. He comes bearing two things: his wish for a day of
fishing in a place that has brought him solace for thirty years, and an
astonishing bequest that will forever change the lives of those around
him.
From the battlefields of Italy to the turbulence of the Vietnam era, to
the private battles of love and family, The Summer Guest reveals the
full history of this final pilgrimage and its meaning for four people:
Jordan Patterson, the haunted young man who will guide Harry on his last
voyage out; the camp's owner Joe Crosby, a Vietnam draft evader who has
spent a lifetime "trying to learn what it means to be brave"; Joe's
wife, Lucy, the woman Harry has loved for three decades; and Joe and
Lucy's daughter Kate--the spirited young woman who holds the key to the
last unopened door to the past.
As their stories unfold, secrets are revealed, courage is tested, and
the bonds of love are strengthened. And always center stage is the place
itself--a magical, forgotten corner of New England where the longings of
the human heart are mirrored in the wild beauty of the landscape.
Intimate, powerful, and profound, The Summer Guest reveals Justin
Cronin as a storyteller of unique and marvelous talent. It is a book to
treasure.
