Adam Gardner is rapidly approaching his 70th birthday, and he knows he will accomplish his life goal by then. Just wait until everyone sees what he will have discovered! It will make all of his many other achievements – and there have been a great many – seem small in comparison. He just has to adjust his meds so that he remains in this manic phase long enough to figure it all out…
Meanwhile, his children are continuing to experience the friction they’ve had between them since their youth. In spite of Ken having married his sister Abby’s best friend, Jen, they have yet to reconcile their very different values, their very different life goals. While Ken anticipates a huge financial deal that will situate him better for his run for congress, Abby is content with her quietly growing status as an artist.
At the same time, Steph, a Boston cop on vacation in Cape Cod, where the Gardners live full-time, is interested in getting to know them. Could this be her family?
With complex characters as well as a complex plot, this story is a winner – and not only because of all the Cape Cod references…! (Always appealing to me!) As Abby and Ken work toward the planned celebration of their father, Adam’s, 70th birthday, the tension builds and it is anyone’s guess how the event will play out. And it doesn’t disappoint, in my opinion. There are so many layers of conflict, so many issues needing to be resolved, and they all seem to be on a collision course.
I also feel that this is a thoughtful depiction of bipolar disorder and its ramifications. The author describes the allure of the mania so well: its intoxicating energy, the grandiose notions, the illusion of invincibility. There is also the fear of numbness, of coming down, and hitting rock bottom, which, as it says through Adam’s thoughts, can’t be described by the word “depression” alone. The narrative also reveals the impact the disease has had on Adam’s children: the fear of the swings, the not knowing which father they would be dealing with, and the abandonment they periodically experience. It is a complicated and painful disease that may impact those around the individual struggling with it.
I highly recommend this novel – it’s substantive, fun, and engaging. (And did I mention it takes place on Cape Cod?)
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