“I agree. I’ll think about what I can do with these.”
Carol reached for her bag. “Well, I’m off. Judith and I are going to a gallery opening in Portland. The artist is one of her friends.”
“Will you be back for dinner?” Bonnie asked.
Carol shrugged. “Depends on Judith,” she said. “She might want to hang around in Portland for a while after the show. How about I call and let you know?”
“Don’t feel pressured,” Bonnie said hastily.
Her sister smiled. “I won’t.”
When Carol had gone, Bonnie surveyed the living room she knew so well and realized she felt every inch a true caretaker of the old house and its property, proud and protective. But if she was the Caretaker, Carol was the Hero of this chapter of their lives, and Bonnie was fine with that. She had decided not to tell anyone that before Carol had handed over the ownership of Ferndean House, Bonnie had already decided to relinquish her share of the homestead.
Let Carol enjoy the limelight and the accolades that went with it. The limelight was her home.
Bonnie left the house and went to look once again at the scanty remains of Marcus Ascher’s unfinished project. She was eager to see it come to life. Carol had suggested that once the project was complete they donate the plans to the Yorktide Historical Society. Bonnie thought it was a wonderful idea. She could imagine Terry Brown giving a lively lecture on the subject of architectural follies or Victorian visual symbolism.
Carol had had another good idea. She had offered to act as Bonnie’s agent, reaching out to her client base for custom quilt projects. And, thanks to Cindy and Adelaide’s enthusiasm, starting after Labor Day Bonnie would be giving advanced sewing lessons at The Busy Bee and manning the shop ten hours a week. She would be too busy to dwell on what might have been if Ken had lived.
But never too busy to miss Ken. That was okay. Ken should not be forgotten.
No one should be forgotten.
Bonnie knelt on the grass and touched one of the old stones Marcus had laid all those years ago.
Life was good. Her life was good.
Please turn the page for a very special Q&A with Holly Chamberlin!
Q. The first and most obvious question to ask is, do you have a sister?
A. No! I have a brother who is exactly two years younger than me. I have to say I’ve never missed having a sister and maybe that’s because Joey and I are so close. Of course, I know lots and lots of sister pairs and groups, so I’ve had ample opportunity to watch and learn.
Q. Though you’ve featured characters over the age of fifty in other books, why did you choose to focus primarily on characters the age of sixty-two and sixty-five in All Our Summers?
A. For lots of reasons. One, I’m fifty-seven, closing in on sixty, and I’m here to say our lives are valid and interesting! And let’s be real. Mature women are major readers. Well, all women are; we rock. Novels should feature characters that readers can relate to. At least, that’s how it seems to me.
Q. The second obvious question to ask is, do you have a family homestead on the order of Ferndean House?
A. That’s another no. I’m not particularly sad about that, though once I might have been. At this point in my life, I think first of the huge cost of keeping an old place up and running, and I’m glad I was spared that responsibility. Still, the idea is undoubtedly a romantic one. And I’d welcome a ghost or two! I’m far more frightened of the living than of the dead.
Q. The intergenerational family dynamic is a theme you’ve explored in several novels. Can you tell us why this attracts you?
A. I think I’m drawn to depicting several generations of a family interacting because I was raised in a family where grandparents and great-aunts and uncles were integral figures at any gathering, whether it was a casual Sunday dinner or a holiday celebration. In fact, I remember my great-aunt Kate telling me when I was very young that I would one day be a poet. (I did write poetry for many years.) Socializing with people of all ages was the norm and continues to be for me. It’s good to have a strong sense of who has come before and who is coming after. Life doesn’t feel so lonely that way.
Q. Can you tell us anything about your next book?
A. The next project will be a bit of a departure for me, as I’ll be telling a story that has its roots in an earlier time. Flashbacks and/or a split narrative will happen. As will a crime! I’m afraid that’s all I can say for now. Wish me luck!
A READING GROUP GUIDE
ALL OUR SUMMERS
Holly Chamberlin
ABOUT THIS GUIDE
The suggested questions are included to enhance your group’s reading of Holly Chamberlin’s All Our Summers!
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Much time in All Our Summers is spent discussing (and arguing about!) the notions of sentimentality and nostalgia. Talk about how the Ascher sisters differ in their response to the past. For example, Bonnie seems to revere it as a time of perfection and Carol to reject it as of little or no value to the present. How are their attitudes shown to be far more complicated and nuanced?
2. How much of a hardship do you think it was for Bonnie and Ken to raise Nicola from the age of fifteen? What sacrifices might have been required of them they might have resented? We learn that Carol paid a sum of money to Bonnie and Ken over and above Nicola’s expenses, so financial woes would not have figured into the mix. In the end, do you think there was a significant downside to the arrangement? After all, it’s one that many families through the ages have adopted in one form or another.
3. Do you think that Nicola will find a sense of grounding now that she knows her biological father? Do you think she will continue to struggle with the fact of her parents’ (perhaps) unusual arrangement? Nicola tells us she’s not very in touch with her instincts, but by the end of the story she realizes she’s not so out of touch with them after all. How might this better self-knowledge help her going forward? In what ways is Nicola like her aunt Bonnie?
4. Talk about the primary nature of the sibling bond and how a good or bad relationship with a sibling can affect the health of later friendships and romantic relationships. Some studies have shown that childless people foster stronger bonds with their siblings than people with children. Is this true in your experience?
5. Carol tells us that for several years she struggled with an addiction to opioids after a major surgery. So many people in this country are currently battling similar addictions to prescription painkillers. For Carol, though the addiction is behind her, the habits of secrecy and shame linger. What are other ways in which the power of an addiction might linger in a person’s life?
6. Talk about Judith’s role as cousin to the Ascher sisters. At times, she acts as confidant; at others, as critic; and at others, as mediator. Do you see her as the true matriarch of the family? Clearly, the family considered Ken Elgort the patriarch and are still adjusting to the changes wrought by his death. Do you think that Scott Miller might one day rise to this position? Does the family necessarily need a new patriarch? Do you think families suffer from the lack of an older generation at the helm?
7. “The golden age is before us, not behind us.”—William Shakespeare. Talk about our culture’s views on aging in terms of discrimination versus respectful acknowledgment; in terms of the pressure put on women to try to reverse the natural process of aging; in terms of increased longevity and what that means for one’s emotional and financial future. What do you foresee for Carol, Bonnie, and Judith as they grow older?
8. What do you make of Julie not seeking professional help for her depression? Can you understand her family’s mixed feelings of concern and annoyance? How much did Sara Webb’s support of Julie’s professional abilities contribute to her healing? Do you think Julie was brave or foolhardy in approaching Laci Fox? Do you think that her choosing to forgive Scott for the affair was wise? In what ways is Julie like her aunt Carol? What do you foresee for Julie Miller going forward?
9. Cons
ider Sophie and what she experiences through the course of the novel. Do you think that the love and support of her extended family will be enough to help her heal from the upheaval caused by her father’s affair and her mother’s subsequent depression, as well as from the trauma of her abduction by the older counselor? Do you foresee a difficult road for Sophie as she moves on through high school?
10. Who are your favorite sisters in literature? For example, is it the March sisters in Little Women; the Bennett sisters in Pride and Prejudice; or Merricat and Constance Blackwood in Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived at the Castle?
All Our Summers Page 40
