A Week at the Shore: A Novel

A Week at the Shore by Barbara Delinsky has Mallory Aldiss, a real estate photographer, heading back to Bay Bluff, Rhode Island with her daughter. Mallory dreads returning to her hometown, but she is worried about her father after receiving a disturbing phone call. Joy, Mallory's thirteen-year-old daughter, is thrilled to finally visit her mother's hometown. Joy wants to connect with her grandfather and aunt who live there. Soon, Mallory's older sister, Margo arrives, and it is a full-fledged family reunion. Mallory will finally have to deal with the memories and feelings that she has kept suppressed for the last twenty years. Seven days in Bay Bluff is a chance to spend time with her family and forge a new future. I was expecting a breezy summer novel when I began A Week at the Shore. This story did not feel as if it was written by Barbara Delinsky. I struggled to get through this book (it was a chore). The characters felt flat and lifeless except for Joy. Joy did not act like a teenager most of the time. It seemed as if Joy ran the household instead of Mallory. Mallory (I did not like her) was all over the place. I wish the author had taken the time to introduce the main characters in the beginning (what I call "setting the stage"). The author tackles various subjects in A Week at the Shore. There is no subtlety. I felt like each issue was being attacked with a sledgehammer. There is a sweet pit bull in the story and Mallory goes on a rant about their dangers, etc. I am not sure what Jack saw in Mallory (or what she saw in him). The pacing in A Week at the Shore is slow (I have seen snails move faster) and it lacked a good flow. The mystery of the missing woman was disappointing. The ending was rushed (if you get that far), but it was better than the rest of the book. While I have enjoyed other novels by Barbara Delinsky, this one was not for me. A Week at the Shore is a dramatic family tale with a missing woman, a father's illness, an old boyfriend, and three sisters.