The House on Fripp Island by Rebecca Kauffman

☆☆☆☆
ebook, 246 pages
Expected publication: June 2nd 2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Mariner Books
About the Book:
Fripp Island, South Carolina is the perfect destination for the wealthy Daly family: Lisa, Scott, and their two girls. For Lisa’s childhood friend, Poppy Ford, the resort island is a world away from the one she and Lisa grew up in—and when Lisa invites Poppy's family to join them, how can a working-class woman turn down an all-expenses paid vacation for her husband and children? But everyone brings secrets to the island, distorting what should be a convivial, relaxing summer on the beach. Lisa sees danger everywhere—the local handyman can't be allowed near the children, and Lisa suspects Scott is fixated on something, or someone, else. Poppy watches over her husband John and his routines with a sharp eye. It's a summer of change for all of the children: Ryan Ford who prepares for college in the fall, Rae Daly who seethes on the brink of adulthood, and the two youngest, Kimmy Daly and Alex Ford, who are exposed to new ideas and different ways of life as they forge a friendship of their own. Those who return from this vacation will spend the rest of their lives trying to process what they witnessed, the tipping points, moments of violence and tenderness, and the memory of whom they left behind.

I didn't know what to think of this book before I read it. In fact, I put of reading it because it seemed a bit vague in its blurb. However, while reading it and after I had finished I realized that this book is absolutely brilliant. The author really understands the complicated relationships behind family communications. The issues in the book were dealt with subtly and delicately and I thought that it was beautiful. I had found myself drawn into this book, its a page turner without a very exciting plot. Nevertheless I found myself reading into the night to try and find what the book was leading to.

I think the theme here is family and that there is always a bitter and a sweet side to life. There are always surprises, because no matter how in control we think we might be, there is one unpredictable factor: other people, who influence everything that happens to us, not always acting rationally. The House on Fripp Island, although very realistic, leaves a lot to the reader's imagination. Moreover, the prose is wonderful, a pleasure to read, detailed and evocative.

Thank you NetGalley, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Mariner Books and Rebecca Kauffman for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an impartial review; all opinions are my own.

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