“Inside this mesmerizing tale of sexual desire and discovery, naive newlyweds Henry and Effie are honeymooning in Cape May, N.J., in 1957, tentatively navigating intimacy. Then they meet Clara and Max, hard-partying lovers who dazzle the innocent pair until they’ve lost more than their virginity. Cheek’s sensual first novel leaves you wanting more.” – PEOPLE “Henry and Effie’s honeymoon is meant … “Henry and Effie’s honeymoon is meant to be their introduction to the pleasures of the body, but in the company of Clara and her promiscuous cohort they lose all track of boundaries. A dozy, luxurious sense of enchantment comes over the story, until the rude awakening at its finale…. Cape May does something better than critique or satirize: It seduces.”
– The Wall Street Journal
Cape May is a raw, provocative portrayal of a young 1950s couple on the cusp of a sexual awakening, and the temptations that upturn their honeymoon and reshape their marriage.
In this erotic and intimate debut novel, a naïve southern couple is exposed to a group of raucous, debauched urbanites. Arriving for their honeymoon in Cape May, New Jersey, during the off season, Henry and Effie are startled to find the beach town deserted. The abandoned homes and desolate beaches make them shy of each other, and, isolated in their new marriage, they decide to cut their trip short.
But before they leave, they encounter their glamorous, sensual neighbors and become swept up by their drama. Clara, a beautiful socialite who feels her youth slipping away; Max, a wealthy playboy and Clara’s lover; and Alma, Max’s aloof, mysterious, and evocative half-sister, to whom Henry is irresistibly drawn. Slowly, agonizingly, these deeply-flawed, profoundly human characters pull Henry and Effie out of themselves and expose them to a side of desire they never expected.
While they discover new truths in each other and in their marriage, the empty beach town becomes their playground. And as they sneak into the vacant summer homes, go sailing, walk naked under the stars, make love, and drink an enormous amount of gin, Henry and Effie slip from innocence into betrayal, with irrevocable consequences.
Seductive and moving, this is a novel about marriage, love, raw sexuality, and the ways in which desire and betrayal can reverberate endlessly throughout our lives.
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Cape May is a perfectly mixed cocktail of beauty, desire, and heady desperation. In his gorgeous debut novel, Chip Cheek offers his readers a portrait of mid-century America and the timeless allure of love on the rocks.
When I read the sneak peek of this novel on Bookishfirst, I knew it was one I would want to read. So when I won an ebook version, I was thrilled. It quickly moved up to the top of my to-be-read list. Immersive, atmospheric, Cape May lulls you in with its quaint beginning. Newly married and very young in the late 1950s, Henry and Effie are spending their honeymoon in the deserted town of Cape May at her uncle’s cottage during the off season. While out for a walk, they spot cars at a house down the street, the only other house they’ve seen occupied during their short stay. They make a spur of the moment decision to stop by and say hello. That small decision sets off a chain of events that will change their lives. Chip Cheek successfully sets the tone of the divergent time period with the innocent southerners contrasted against the free-loving urbanites. If you have an issue with explicit sexual scenes, this one might not be for you, although the scenes are not gratuitous, and support the theme of the novel. This novel read like a classic, and I have a feeling it will stick with me for awhile.
Cape May totally caught me off guard and was exactly what I didn’t expect. Not for the happily ever after crowd, the book introduces us to a very young, very naive Effie and Henry. Just Married in their hometown of Signal Creek, Georgia and celebrating their honeymoon in Cape May, New Jersey they quickly make choices that will affect the entirety of their marriage. Innocence and youth, sex and betrayal are an unsettling yet intriguing theme in Chip Creek’s Cape May. Strangely fascinating, I’ll be digesting this one for a while yet
The beginning started so well! Cape May, New Jersey 1957. Effie, aged 18, spent summers of her childhood at her aunt’s house in Cape May returns with her husband Henry, aged 20 to spend their honeymoon. It is off-season and the perfect place for two virgins to get to know each other. From this point forward, there is no plot except graphic sex with different people. I really could find no redeming qualities except that the book was short. This book had promise in the beginning. I thought we would see this young couple grow over the years, maybe returning to Cape May at various times. Unfortunately, this did not happen. I received this ARC from Bookish First in exchange for an honest review.
I’ve been reading a lot of historical novels set in seaside locations lately and Cape May seemed as though it would slide nicely into place with the others. As it turns out, Cape May is also about characters—and a country—on the verge of change, played out in a sleepy seaside town, but this book has a darker edge and journey.
It’s 1957 and newlyweds Henry and Effie have traveled to Cape May on their honeymoon. Having arrived from Georgia during the off season, they find that most of the town is closed down and weather is miserable. Before they can pack up and leave, they come across a trio of wealthy socialites, one of whom Effie knew during her childhood trips to Cape May. What follows is a gin-fueled, hedonistic loss of naivety and an introduction to evolving sexual dynamics and the consequences of those relationships.
I’m torn about my feelings toward Cape May, on one hand the setting was spectacularly portrayed and the evolution of Effie and Henry’s relationship intriguing (like any catastrophe would be to watch). On the other, I just didn’t feel any strong ties to any of the characters, so I never felt invested in the story to the point that I would rave about it.
*I received a copy of Cape May from NetGalley and Celadon Books in exchange for an honest review
Four Stars for this debut book by Chip Cheek.
Set in Cape May, NJ in 1957. A young (17/20) and naive honeymoon couple, Effie and Henry, from a small town in Georgia use Effie’s uncles house for their two week honeymoon. As they are learning to get use to each other as a married couple, they are disappointed that Cape May is a relative ghost town due to off season. Just as they are planning on leaving early, they run into a friend of Effie’s from her teenage years. What happens next can only be described as a alcohol fueled, sexual awakening which will set the tone for the next week of their honeymoon, and their married life. Clara, Max and Alma are much more worldly that Effie and Henry get sucked in very easily and quickly to their escapades.
Though the sex described can be explicit at times, it is necessary for how the story enfolds. A sad telling, mostly from Henry’s justified point of view, we never really hear about Effie’s take on the promiscuous antics, but I think the author explains what it does to them, individually and as a couple, in the final chapters. We see the sad aftermath. The first part of the story drags slightly, but then takes off in a fury. I would have liked to have heard what happened to Clara, Max and Alma. The writing is top notch with the story line and descriptive elements of Cape May and the climate of the 50s. I look forward to reading this author again.
Thanks to Chip Cheek and Celadon Books for this ARC. Opinion is my own!