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Transporting readers to the fictional picturesque beach enclave of Salcombe on New York's Fire Island, Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum is a wickedly entertaining, sexually charged social drama fueled by the misadventures of wealthy, beautiful couples looking to destress over the summer. Its suspenseful prologue is an enticing teaser to the murder mystery embedded in the novel's seductively salacious center. Salcombe isn't exactly the Hamptons, much to the dismay of elitist Upper Eastsider Lauren Parker, but it does have its quirky traditions and a "shabby chicness," as well as a competitive tennis tournament offering summer residents the perfect outlet for their high-pressure lives. This year looks even more promising now that Robert Heyworth, a handsome Floridian with "Brad Pitt" looks, is the new tennis coach.
The first chapter of Rosenblum's debut opens innocently enough in a cloud of happy anticipation as families board a ferry destined for Salcombe in late June. Hidden beneath their excitement are shadows of explosive secrets that Lauren, her businessman husband, Jason, and their friends conceal behind their stylishly perfect exteriors and Tom Ford sunglasses. Everyone, it seems, has something to hide, and Rosenblum, a marvelous storyteller, charts their unfolding scandals through the cocktail parties, picnics and tennis games that punctuate the summer. Alternating among multiple narrative perspectives, Bad Summer People offers intriguing storylines that propel the drama, culminating in a thrilling, late night unraveling that leaves one of them dead.
Lauren pines for a blissfully relaxed summer. And she deserves it, after the stress of a scandal at her children's private school and the months Jason has been distracted with work. Sleek, gorgeous Lauren and handsome Jason are part of Salcombe's summer royalty, their beachfront home a stunning monument to the new wealth rubbing shoulders with older, more established residences. Others in their elevated social orbit include Sam and Jen Weinstein, with their impressive "blue-shingled stunner" inherited from his parents. What the couples share, apart from Sam and Jason's lifelong friendship, is that they are deeply unhappy. For self-absorbed Lauren, it's that Jason no longer pays her the attention she needs. For Jason, it's that he is desperately in love with another woman. Sam, a successful litigator at a top-notch law firm, has been accused of sexual harassment by an associate, and Jen, a psychologist, is feeling stuck in an extramarital affair.
Sam is Salcombe's golden boy, a presence on the island since childhood, and a generally all-around good guy. Rachel Woolf grew up summering there as well, and was romantically involved with Sam for a brief spell. She still harbors a massive crush on him. Single and childless at 42, social pressures to reach certain milestones have worn a groove in her psyche to the point that she associates being single with being a failure. Despite Rachel's well-earned reputation as the village's "reigning queen" of gossip, Sam is tempted to confide in her, desperate to unload the burden of the harassment claim threatening to derail his career. Rachel, for her part, is hopeful their youthful attraction can be rekindled and by summer's end, finds herself guarding many more secrets than she'd bargained for.
Rachel can't compete with Lauren and Jen, with their successful husbands and sweet kids. But at least she is a better tennis player than they are, or so she plans to prove at the annual tournament. The tennis courts at the yacht club are where old rivalries are sweated over and new rivalries emerge, with seniors like Larry Higgins and Susan Steinhagen representing the old guard, their dwindling numbers giving way to a new breed of summer resident. Susan is Robert Heyworth's hawk-eyed boss, overseeing the tennis program with formidable efficiency. Nothing even remotely fishy can get by Susan, a fact that Stanford-educated Robert, frustrated by his lack of career and financial success, ends up realizing far too late.
Micah Holt is the youngest of Rosenblum's characters and also the most astute. His summer job as the yacht club bartender offers him the perfect perch from which to observe not only the suspicious, late-night wanderings of Jason, but also Robert's disgruntled vibe, Rachel's dangerous restlessness and the oddly threatening energy emanating from the usually laid-back Sam. Simmering tensions between characters boil over when Jen's lover is revealed and spiral out of control as the impact ricochets across Salcombe. Bad Summer People enters the realm of sublimely deep noir when Micah, caught in a late August storm, finds himself a witness to something he can't quite understand, but he knows will haunt him forever.
Rosenblum is a master of understated social satire, and her gift for capturing human follies and the dark, emotional depth of her characters through artfully rendered details make Bad Summer People a seriously compulsive read. Rosenblum's cheeky familiarity with Salcombe summer rituals--she grew up vacationing on Fire Island--add to this delightfully escapist melodrama, one that is perfect for fans of the television series White Lotus. --Shahina Piyarali