2 Chill-Out Books to Read Over July 4 (and More)
Perfect for by the pool—or after the
barbecue—these novels suck you in with charm, intelligence and
the complexities of the human heart.
By Julie Buntin
2 of 9
The Loved Ones
By Mary-Beth Hughes
320 pages;
Atlantic Monthly Press
Jean Devlin, the matriarch of Mary-Beth Hughes's latest novel, set in the late '60s, is
beautiful, sharp-witted and seemingly indifferent to her husband Nick's philandering. Meanwhile, her teenage daughter,
the spirited Lily, struggles to determine what kind of woman she's supposed to
become ("If she was going to plant tulip bulbs and serve crab-dip, she
needed to shape up..."). Often absent from the domestic scene, Nick spends his days as a rising titan in the
cosmetics industry. This portrait of a New England family, hiding its despair
over the death of Lily's younger brother (and yet fighting to hold it together)
is masterful;
Hughes glides in and out of her characters' heads,
sometimes within the span of a paragraph. But the larger issues she explores,
about the emotional cost of striving for glamour and beauty, make for the same
kind of stylized, nostalgic pleasures as an episode of Mad
Men. Sexy, immersive and lushly written. Read with a sundress
on—and a pair of Wayfarers.
— Julie Buntin
Published 06/18/2015