March 14, 2022
A father’s cancer diagnosis upends his family’s life in Runde’s vivid if unfocused debut. Brian and Margot Dunne made a living renting homes to tourists in Seaside, N.J., until a brain tumor sidelined Brian, making him irritable, confused, and unrecognizable to his family. Eight months after the diagnosis, Margot is struggling to care for him while running the business, and she dreams of leaving everything behind. Their 17-year-old daughter, Liz, meanwhile, cultivates an interest in her charming but self-absorbed coworker at an umbrella rental stand, and 16-year-old Evy discovers Margot posts in an online forum for wives whose partners have brain tumors, and then joins under an assumed identity to reconnect with her. As Brian’s health deteriorates, Margot makes a rash decision, and it’s up to Evy to bring her family back together. Runde’s evocative descriptions conjure the salty humidity of the Jersey Shore (“They stayed out until the waves were dark, pulsing shadows, until the last streak of red-gold sun rushed out of the sky”), but some narrative threads feel extraneous, such as the romance between Evy and her classmate. Though uneven, this transportive work successfully captures the dissonance and resilience of family. Agent: Elisabeth Weed, Book Group.
June 10, 2024
Jersey Shore native Runde evokes the precariousness of coastal life, and all life, in her first novel. Seaside, NJ, follows the seasons like boats follow tides, but as summer approaches, one local family's fortune is at an all-time ebb. Margot and daughters Liz and Evy are caught between anticipating the future without dad Brian and grieving a living man transformed by aggressive brain cancer. Narrators Andi Arndt, Priya Ayyar, Dan Bittner, and In�s del Castill give voice to each family member, revealing their unique inner turmoil and coping strategies. Bittner as Brian provides a particularly moving demonstration of the faculties lost to his brain tumor. As the present storm surfaces flotsam from their past, Margot's favorite book, The Girl with the Long Shadow, a story about going back in time to change the future, helps the girls better understand their mother. Runde's boardwalk setting gives Evy and Liz a sanctuary from reheated "inevitable death casseroles" and abounds with authentic, lived detail--a high point. VERDICT Though Margot has only one reality and immutable choices, the recurring theme will resonate with listeners who enjoyed Emma Straub's This Time Tomorrow or Matt Haig's The Midnight Library. A mournful beach read, but recommended multi-narrator audio.--Lauren Kage
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