By Gail Tagarro / 12 November 2019 / 5 minutes of reading
When you go on holiday, most often it’s just for one summer. Will that be the case for the family in David Baldacci’s novel One Summer?
A Book Review
From Crime to Tragi-Romance
David Baldacci is best known for his thrillers and crime
fiction novels. When I was looking for a light read, it therefore came as a
surprise to discover a tragi-romance (a made-up genre, but you’ll know what I mean!)
by this prolific writer of crime.
Have a Good Cry
They say that literature has a cathartic effect: it helps release
strong emotions and provides relief. Basically, you have a good cry and feel better
afterwards! Well, I cried buckets. And I felt good afterwards. Because in the
end, like all good tragi-romances, things turn out okay.
War Vet
Jack Armstrong is a thirty-four-year-old veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He’s married to and deeply in love with his wife Lizzie, and father to three children, two sons, two-year-old Jackie and twelve-year-old Cory, and rebellious teen daughter Mikki. Sammy is part of their family too. He’s a sixty-something Vietnam war vet, single, Jack’s best friend and business partner in their building contracting business in Cleveland.
But wait. Jack is dying.
Not of war wounds, but of a cruel fatal illness that robs
him of breath and strength. Unable now to climb the stairs to their bedroom, he
is confined to a hospital bed downstairs in the den. He’s attached to an oxygen
line, an access line for pain meds and an IV drip to take care of his food and hydration
needs. Not even able to share the bed with his beloved wife, his life is ‘being
dismantled, brick by brick’.
The Beach House
In one of their last conversations, Lizzy tells Jack she’s
been thinking about taking the children to her family’s beach house in Channing,
South Carolina after Jack is gone. It’s just for one summer, she tells him. It’s
a place that holds both good and unbearably sad memories for Lizzie, and she
has not visited there in many years. Jack, pleased that Lizzie is ready to face
her past and that she is thinking of the future, encourages her to go. The beach
house property includes a lighthouse where Lizzie spent many hours as a child,
searching the heavens for something that was lost to her.
Tragedy
But wait. On Christmas Eve, when Jack is writing his seventh
and last letter to Lizzie, in the hope it will comfort her after he dies, tragedy
unbelievably strikes their family another blow. Lizzie is killed in a car
accident.
Jack is forced to watch on helplessly as his mother-in-law
Bonnie takes over the running of his family. She moves the children away from Cleveland
and their father, and places each of them with three different family members. Jack
is moved to a hospice where he will die alone.
Miracle
Against the odds, Jack begins dragging himself from the
brink of death after realising his oxygen line has come loose and he has been
breathing on his own. At first, he hardly dares believe it is possible. He mentions
it to no one, building up to being able to breathe without the machine and taking
walks around the ward at night when he is alone. Initially cautious about being
too hopeful and afraid his gradual and seemingly miraculous recovery might be temporary,
he begins building up his strength and feels that he is no longer going to die.
Some weeks later, to the disbelief of the medical staff, Jack is discharged and
begins to reassemble his life, including getting his children back.
Life in the novel, as with life in reality, does not always go
smoothly. Jack becomes a temporary hero after a newspaper picks up his story,
then just as quickly turns anti-hero when other papers print lies about his being
responsible for Lizzie’s death. Mikki his daughter, left with the
responsibility of housekeeping and caring for her younger siblings while her dad
returns to work, is snappy and irritable most of the time, and critical of his imperfect
parenting skills. His grieving mother-in-law Bonnie is distant, reproachful and
obstructive.
Better fortune seems to come their way when Lizzie’s
grandmother Cecilia, who always had a soft spot for Jack, dies and leaves him
the rambling old beach house. Uncertain about whether to take it on, Jack nevertheless
decides to visits it with the family and Sammy after Cecilia’s funeral, amid grumbles
from Mikki that it’s a ‘dump’ and he better not be thinking of moving there
because she doesn’t want to leave her friends behind.
It’s just for one summer …
… he tells her.
Surprisingly, the whole family including Mikki settle into
life in Channing over the summer. But just as things are turning around for the
family, a perilous storm threatens to snatch Mikki from them, and Jack with her
as he tries to save her. Lizzie’s lighthouse plays an important role in the
drama.
But I’ve told you enough and I don’t want to ruin the story for you. I’ll leave you to read the book and see how life turns out for the family. Will it be just one summer at the beach house?
We have recently launched an exciting new end-to-end service for self-publishing authors who are business owners. Three packages with various inclusions are offered: ‘The Whole Enchilada’, ‘Edit and Publish’ and ‘Assess ’n Edit’. Check out the details here: WriteDesign Publications services to self-publishing authors. Or call us on 0405 695 534.
var astra = {"break_point":"921","isRtl":"","is_scroll_to_id":"","is_scroll_to_top":"1","is_header_footer_builder_active":"1","revealEffectEnable":"","edit_post_url":"https:\/\/bookwritingcoach.com.au\/wp-admin\/post.php?post={{id}}&action=edit","ajax_url":"https:\/\/bookwritingcoach.com.au\/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php","infinite_count":"2","infinite_total":"0","pagination":"number","infinite_scroll_event":"scroll","no_more_post_message":"No more posts to show.","grid_layout":"1","site_url":"https:\/\/bookwritingcoach.com.au","blogArchiveTitleLayout":"","show_comments":"Show Comments","masonryEnabled":"","blogMasonryBreakPoint":"921"};
var edd_scripts = {"ajaxurl":"https:\/\/bookwritingcoach.com.au\/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php","position_in_cart":"","has_purchase_links":"","already_in_cart_message":"You have already added this item to your cart","empty_cart_message":"Your cart is empty","loading":"Loading","select_option":"Please select an option","is_checkout":"0","default_gateway":"stripe","redirect_to_checkout":"0","checkout_page":"https:\/\/bookwritingcoach.com.au\/checkout\/","permalinks":"1","quantities_enabled":"1","taxes_enabled":"1","current_page":"4761"};
var wpcw_frontend_params = {"api_url":"https:\/\/bookwritingcoach.com.au\/wp-json\/wpcw\/v1\/api\/","api_nonce":"5866230ddc","ajax_api_url":"\/?wpcw-ajax=%%endpoint%%","ajax_api_nonce":"d8765301ca","ajaxurl":"https:\/\/bookwritingcoach.com.au\/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php","enrollment_nonce":"f1b2cea19c","progress_nonce":"7cac32f9de","str_uploading":"Uploading:","str_quiz_all_fields":"Please provide an answer for all of the questions on this page.","timer_units_hrs":"hrs","timer_units_mins":"mins","timer_units_secs":"secs","min_password_strength":"3","i18n_password_error":"Please enter a stronger password.","i18n_password_hint":"Hint: The password should be at least twelve characters long. To make it stronger, use upper and lower case letters, numbers, and symbols like ! \" ? $ % ^ & ).","course_progress":{"i18n_confirm_reset_unit":"Are you sure you wish to reset your progress of this Unit? This CANNOT be undone.","i18n_confirm_reset_units":"Are you sure you wish to reset your progress up to this Unit? This CANNOT be undone."}};
var wpcw_course_note_params = {"api_url":"https:\/\/bookwritingcoach.com.au\/wp-json\/wpcw\/v1\/api\/","api_nonce":"5866230ddc","ajax_api_url":"\/?wpcw-ajax=%%endpoint%%","ajax_api_nonce":"d8765301ca","delete_note_confirm":"Are you sure you wish to delete your note?"};
var quicktagsL10n = {"closeAllOpenTags":"Close all open tags","closeTags":"close tags","enterURL":"Enter the URL","enterImageURL":"Enter the URL of the image","enterImageDescription":"Enter a description of the image","textdirection":"text direction","toggleTextdirection":"Toggle Editor Text Direction","dfw":"Distraction-free writing mode","strong":"Bold","strongClose":"Close bold tag","em":"Italic","emClose":"Close italic tag","link":"Insert link","blockquote":"Blockquote","blockquoteClose":"Close blockquote tag","del":"Deleted text (strikethrough)","delClose":"Close deleted text tag","ins":"Inserted text","insClose":"Close inserted text tag","image":"Insert image","ul":"Bulleted list","ulClose":"Close bulleted list tag","ol":"Numbered list","olClose":"Close numbered list tag","li":"List item","liClose":"Close list item tag","code":"Code","codeClose":"Close code tag","more":"Insert Read More tag"};
( function( domain, translations ) {
var localeData = translations.locale_data[ domain ] || translations.locale_data.messages;
localeData[""].domain = domain;
wp.i18n.setLocaleData( localeData, domain );
} )( "default", {"translation-revision-date":"2024-03-24 04:20:05+0000","generator":"GlotPress\/4.0.1","domain":"messages","locale_data":{"messages":{"":{"domain":"messages","plural-forms":"nplurals=2; plural=n != 1;","lang":"en_AU"},"%1$s is deprecated since version %2$s with no alternative available.":["%1$s is deprecated since version %2$s with no alternative available."],"%1$s is deprecated since version %2$s! Use %3$s instead.":["%1$s is deprecated since version %2$s! Use %3$s instead."],"Dismiss this notice.":["Dismiss this notice."],"Expand Main menu":["Expand Main menu"],"You are about to permanently delete these items from your site.\nThis action cannot be undone.\n'Cancel' to stop, 'OK' to delete.":["You are about to permanently delete these items from your site.\nThis action cannot be undone.\n'Cancel' to stop, 'OK' to delete."],"Collapse Main menu":["Collapse Main menu"]}},"comment":{"reference":"wp-admin\/js\/common.js"}} );
var thickboxL10n = {"next":"Next >","prev":"< Prev","image":"Image","of":"of","close":"Close","noiframes":"This feature requires inline frames. You have iframes disabled or your browser does not support them.","loadingAnimation":"https:\/\/bookwritingcoach.com.au\/wp-includes\/js\/thickbox\/loadingAnimation.gif"};
var astraAddon = {"sticky_active":"","svgIconClose":"<\/span>","hf_account_show_menu_on":"hover","hf_account_action_type":"link","header_main_stick":"","header_above_stick":"","header_below_stick":"","stick_header_meta":"","header_main_stick_meta":"","header_above_stick_meta":"","header_below_stick_meta":"","sticky_header_on_devices":"desktop","sticky_header_style":"none","sticky_hide_on_scroll":"0","break_point":"921","tablet_break_point":"921","mobile_break_point":"544","header_main_shrink":"","header_logo_width":"","responsive_header_logo_width":{"desktop":220,"tablet":220,"mobile":208},"stick_origin_position":"","site_layout":"ast-full-width-layout","site_content_width":"1240","site_layout_padded_width":"1200","site_layout_box_width":"1200","header_builder_active":"1","component_limit":"10","is_header_builder_active":"1"};
tinymce.addI18n( 'en', {"Align center":"Align centre","Ok":"OK","Bullet list":"Bulleted list","Insert\/Edit code sample":"Insert\/edit code sample","Url":"URL","Color":"Colour","Custom color":"Custom colour","No color":"No colour","Spellcheck":"Check Spelling","Row properties":"Table row properties","Cell properties":"Table cell properties","Border color":"Border colour","Cols":"Columns","Paste row before":"Paste table row before","Paste row after":"Paste table row after","Cut row":"Cut table row","Copy row":"Copy table row","Merge cells":"Merge table cells","Split cell":"Split table cell","Center":"Centre","Background color":"Background colour","Text color":"Text colour","Paste is now in plain text mode. Contents will now be pasted as plain text until you toggle this option off.":"Paste is now in plain text mode. Contents will now be pasted as plain text until you toggle this option off.\n\nIf you are looking to paste rich content from Microsoft Word, try turning this option off. The editor will clean up text pasted from Word automatically.","Rich Text Area. Press ALT-F9 for menu. Press ALT-F10 for toolbar. Press ALT-0 for help":"Rich Text Area. Press Alt-Shift-H for help.","You have unsaved changes are you sure you want to navigate away?":"The changes you made will be lost if you navigate away from this page.","Your browser doesn't support direct access to the clipboard. Please use the Ctrl+X\/C\/V keyboard shortcuts instead.":"Your browser does not support direct access to the clipboard. Please use keyboard shortcuts or your browser\u2019s edit menu instead.","Edit|button":"Edit"});
tinymce.ScriptLoader.markDone( 'https://bookwritingcoach.com.au/wp-includes/js/tinymce/langs/en.js' );