The Summer We Ran

Ingram offers a romantic novel about former young lovers turned political rivals.

It’s June 2021 and Democrat Tess Murphy, a career public servant, is campaigning to become the governor of Virginia. Her Republican opponent is wealthy hedge fund manager Grant Alexander. As it happens, Tess and Grant know each other quite well. Back in 1996, Tess’ mother got a job managing the country estate of lobbyist Madeline Milton. Tess was 17 at the time and eager for something to do for the summer. She wound up assisting Madeline’s neighbor, Kay Alexander, with her garden; Kay’s teenage son Grant happened to be around, and a summer relationship took shape, despite Tess and Grant having little in common. Grant, with his boarding school education and wealthy, commandeering father, came from money; Tess, by contrast, witnessed firsthand her mother’s constant struggles to make ends meet. In 2021, Tess and Grant are both married to other people, so it’s apparent that their teen relationship did not last. So what happened all those years ago—and what does this now mean for the commonwealth of Virginia? Ingram’s narrative alternates time periods, as well as narrators: Roughly a third of the way through the novel, the perspective shifts from Tess’ side of the story to Grant’s, before later shifting back again. It’s an altogether enticing setup. As more people in 2021 learn of Tess and Grant’s past, the uncertainty and suspense enjoyably builds. Likewise, there’s much more to discover about the characters’ early days than readers might initially expect. Along the way, the characters speak directly to the reader, as well as to each other; as a result, they sometimes blandly state their feelings, rather than showing them through action: “Everything about him infuriates me,” says Grant about his father. Yet, for career politicians, Tess and Grant are rather likable figures and readers will find themselves engaged by their stories.

An offbeat and well paced account of a relationship in youth and adulthood.