TWO SUMMERS

Are there infinite realities in which every possible permutation of our choices exists?

It’s the summer between sophomore and junior year, and Summer Everett’s phone rings just as she’s about to board a plane to France. The caller ID says “unknown,” leaving the always-indecisive Summer with a dilemma: should she answer it? Here, the narrative splits into two possible realities. In the first, Summer silences the phone, shoves it into her pocket, and continues on her way to Les Deux Chemins—“The Two Paths”—in Provence, her famous artist father’s vacation home. In the second reality, Summer answers the phone; it’s her father, telling her not to come to France, and consequently, she spends the summer at home in sleepy Hudsonville, New York. Although the settings are vastly different, both Summers find romance (sadly, they both judge their worth by what boys think of them), discover their burgeoning talent for photography, and gather the courage to accept change and stop wondering “What if….” Experienced and observant readers will solve a devastating, long-kept family secret far ahead of Summer's discovery of same. The Provençal location is a refreshing change from the Parisian setting of so many other teen-abroad novels. Many teen readers who have visited France will relate to Summer’s bemusement over hand-held showering, iceless drinking water, and cheek kissing. Summer is white, but her Hudsonville friends are pleasingly diverse.

A lightly philosophical summer romance for any time of year.