Sarah Moriarty’s stunning debut is a portrait of the family scars and faults passed along the generations, brilliantly capturing life on the Maine coastline, where time seems to stand still even as the waters never stop moving.On an island in Maine, four siblings arrive at their sprawling, old summer place for the Fourth of July. It’s the Willoughbys’ first summer without their parents, and their … parents, and their beloved house is falling apart. When a substantial offer is made on the estate, the two brothers and two sisters are forced to confront issues they had hoped to keep hidden.
An homage to the layers and limits of the family bond, North Haven explores the shifting allegiances between siblings as they contend with their inheritance, the truth of family lore, and even the veracity of their own memories. This lyrical and moving novel delves into the secret world that exists between parents, one their children don’t fully understand, much as they may think they do.
more
Hook, line, and sinker! That’s how Sarah Moriarty’s novel, NORTH HAVEN reeled me in. Totally believable, oftentimes relatable, you don’t just read about the siblings—Tom, Gwen, Libby, and Danny—you live out the storyline with them.
This is a book about going home. A beautiful old home in Maine brings back the memories of the grown children. Memories of their roles with each other and their now deceased parents. And each grown child still has the old visions of their parents and who was liked best and has to reconcile their views when they find out some hidden truths…..and realize the stories they told themselves need to be updated and seen without the rose colored glasses of youth.
There is alot of angst and old anger that is dealt with as they share the old home. I felt the most for Tom as his siblings think of him as a stick in the mud…..he is so much more and as the eldest always felt the pressure to be good, do good and protect the family. The parents and their volatile marriage has affected each of the four kids
I’d recommend it only if you enjoy family dramas and the insights of looking at the parents through the eyes of a child and then through the eyes of the grown child. It is a good read but not a great one.
This is the story of a mildly dysfunctional family comprised of four adult children and their parents, who although they are dead, are very much a part of the family and the story.
Tom, the oldest, is struggling with a marriage that is failing and carrying the burden of his parents’ secret which he has never shared with his siblings.
Gwen – free-loving, unmarried, struggling artist closing in on forty is secretly pregnant;
Libby – an uncertain lesbian in a long time relationship with a woman who wants a commitment Libby is not prepared to give;
Danny – ten years younger than Libby, is tormented, depressed and has no clue what to do with his life;
The siblings gather for their annual summer weeks together at the iconic family summer home on an island off the coast of Maine. The mother has just recently died and this will be their first summer without her.
Each of the characters has significant problems/challenges and linking it all is the house, which someone has offered to buy for three million dollars. They love the house and all the memories it holds for each of them, but it is a falling apart and it will cost a lot to maintain.
What to do with the house creates an excellent thread that helps to weave each of the characters’ stories together.
The book has the pace of a lazy summer vacation. The writing is excellent, with vivid descriptions of sea, house, food and drink. The characters were well developed and I cared about each of them.
It’s a good story.
North Haven is a well-written book, but there was just so much drama!! It was a total soap opera. There were also several passages with excessive description, and honestly, I just skimmed through those. The ending was unfulfilling–we found out what happened to the house (which really was a character in the story), but we don’t get any resolution with the rest of the characters. It was just ok.