Summer of '69 by Elin Hilderbrand
Like clockwork, every summer the Levin siblings Jessie, Kirby, Blair and Tiger journey with their mother to their grandmother’s historic downtown Nantucket home. There are of course some constants in their seasonal pilgrimages; savoring fresh Portuguese bread from Aime’s bakery, biking down to the beach to read and shed their worries like old skin in the sunshine and accompanying their matriarch grandmother Exalta to the esteemed Field and Oar Club.
But it’s 1969, and on the precipice of the new decade, the Levin family braces themselves against waves of change as Tiger is deployed overseas to the Central Highlands of Vietnam. With chapters alternating focus on Kate, Jessie, Kirby and Blair, punctuated with the occasional letter from Tiger, we are treated to a layered tale that captures the anxiety of the war period and brilliantly contrasts it to the unique highs and lows of each woman during an eventful summer. Elin Hilderbrand, known for portraying atmospheric Nantucket Island romances now focuses on a family drama as tensions of the war period rise socially and emotionally in her debut historical fiction Summer of ’69 (Little, Brown, and Company).
Kate is usually cool and unruffled, a role model for her daughters. But since Tiger’s deployment, Kate has taken to drinking in order to cope with circumstances she has no control over. No control, except to strike a dubious deal with Mr. Crimmins, caretaker of Exalta’s home. In exchange for housing Mr. Crimmins and his grandson Pick over the summer, he will try his best to extend his wishes to his connections high up in military command to get Tiger in a safer position or back home. Agonizing over when his end of the bargain will take place if ever, is Kate’s obsession for the summer. This preoccupation leaves her other children feeling distant, particularly the youngest Jessie. Kate is also keeping a secret only Mr. Crimmins knows, one that she feels could distort her family’s opinions of her forever.
Jessie is turning thirteen years old this summer. She feels that she’s on the verge of great personal changes and wants to have a transformative summer to reflect these consuming feelings. She’s looking forward to finally getting her period to cement her membership in the world of women, becoming involved with the cute boy Pick who lives so close in the house to her family and maybe even standing up to the uncompromising Exalta when she feels that she is being unfair. But Tiger’s absence weighs heavily on Jessie, and her mother is too consumed by her own worries to notice when her own daughter is going through distress. In moments of stress or anger Jessie acts out in her own way of getting even with the world–swiping whatever is available. Sometimes Jessie feels guilty after she takes the items, but the adrenaline of the moment is heady and feels owed when no one else is paying attention.
Blair would be there to step in for Kate, but she has her hands, or rather her womb, full with not one, but two babies on the way fast. While at first she views her marriage to the astrophysicist Angus to be glamorous and rewarding, Blair faces a new reality once they settle into home. Angus suffers from periods of emotional and physical inactivity when he is too depressed to get out of bed. He wants Blair to quit her scholarly ambitions for a Harvard graduate program to be a full-time homemaker. On top of everything else, she suspects Angus of cheating. As Blair thinks ruefully often, “What would Betty Friedan say?” She knows what her free-spirit feminist sister Kirby would say, that she’s cutting herself short to serve the patriarchy. And Blair can’t help but feel she has a point.
Kirby meanwhile is struggling to exercise her own agency. She’s making her way to Martha’s Vineyard for a fresh start, running from what started as an emotionally charged and exciting relationship with a police officer that quickly devolved into bitter disappointment. Kirby feels that she’s made great strides for herself when she secures a front-desk job at the respected Shiretown Inn. She loves her job and pines for a true chance at a relationship with the handsome Harvard student Darren Frazier but faces prejudice in more than one way. Darren’s mother knows compromising facts about Kirby’s past relationship, a barrier that keeps her polite but frigid with her. Darren is also African American, and in public people still throw the two off-putting looks and comments, reminding them that a biracial relationship is still unfamiliar and taboo in the eyes of the majority.
Each of woman’s story weaves understanding into the larger family dynamic as their paths converge at the end. Hilderbrand covers an impressive amount of ground socially and emotionally while also conjuring her trademark nostalgia for a beloved place with dynamic characters. Perfect for your own trip summer trips and selected by Book of the Month, you’ll want to dive right into Summer of ’69.
Summer of ’69 is available now for purchase.
