The Summer Guest: A Novel

Summary

On an evening in late summer, the great financier HarryWainwright, nearing the end of his life, arrives at a rustic fishing camp in aremote area of Maine. He comes bearing two things: his wish for a day offishing in a place that has brought him solace for thirty years, and anastonishing bequest that will forever change the lives of those around him.

Fromthe battlefields of Italy to the turbulence of the Vietnam era, to the privatebattles of love and family, The SummerGuest reveals the full history of this final pilgrimage and its meaning forfour people: Jordan Patterson, the haunted young man who will guide Harry onhis last voyage out; the camp’s owner Joe Crosby, a Vietnam draft evader whohas spent a lifetime “trying to learn what it means to be brave;” Joe’s wife,Lucy, the woman Harry has loved for three decades; and Joe and Lucy’s daughterKate—the spirited young woman who holds the key to the last unopened door tothe past.As their stories unfold, secrets are revealed, courage is tested, andthe bonds of love are strengthened. And always center stage is the placeitself—a magical, forgotten corner of New England where the longings of thehuman heart are mirrored in the wild beauty of the landscape.

Intimate,powerful, and profound, The Summer Guestreveals Justin Cronin as a storyteller of unique and marvelous talent. It is abook to treasure.