Book Review: The Summer Demands by Deborah Shapiro

Have you ever read something so ethereal, so 'effervescent' I think is the word, that you find yourself thinking about it days after you've finished the book?

That was "The Summer Demands" for me. I went into it not knowing anything about the author, or the novel for that matter, having just won a free advanced copy from a popular book review site - basically I didn't have any expectations. But as soon as I started reading I was just engulfed. While its on the shorter side (just over 200 pages), Deborah Shapiro immediately lassoes you with her serene language. bringing you into her world, her characters, and Emily (the main character)'s thoughts.

For a short summary, Emily is a 39 year old on the cusp of her 40-year crisis, trying to decide if she's doing enough with her life after a miscarriage took it into a different direction. She and her husband have recently inherited a summer camp from her aunt and uncle, with plans to renovate it into a resort of sorts. and soon find an unexpected guest living in one of the bunks. Stella is an early twenties vision of youth that lives with few possessions and has yet to figure her life out. Through the duration of a summer, Emily mixes into the fold of Stella's life, while struggling to make something of herself. Vaguely filling the roles of Stella's mother, friend, and even maybe lover, Emily finds herself in a rough spot and needs to figure out what she actually wants or if she's just lost in her own mind.

Reading this really challenged my ways of thinking. Do we (women) really think this many things in every aspect of our lives? Emily is such an observer, noticing things that wouldn't normally be pointed out, but we all know are there. Touching on tension and feelings, facial expressions and body language, knowing what others are thinking just by the twitch of their eyebrow. It's enough to question how much we notice and don't say out loud.

The book diverges to bring in Stella's ex-girlfriend, Emily missing out on a job opportunity, and some strain in her marriage, and bringing all of this to an end seems almost impossible until Shapiro's genius linguistics bring all of Emily's thoughts to a head. Her words are so descriptive and inviting, and you leave the book thinking of what your life will look like at 29? 30? 40? It is very thought provoking in the most specific sense of the phrase.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this, and took away so much more than expected.