FICTION

The End of the Point

by Elizabeth Graver
HarperCollins. Mar. 2013. 352p. ISBN 9780062184863. $25.99; ebk. ISBN 9780062184849. $25.99. F
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Graver's (Awake) family saga spans the latter half of the 20th century. The wealthy Porters have a summer home in Ashaunt Point, MA, which plays a significant role in the lives of the family. The novel's point of view varies among Bea, the Scottish nanny for the Porter's youngest daughter; Helen, the oldest and wildest of the Porter girls; and Charlie, Helen's oldest child. Bea narrates one summer on the island in 1942—but is it about her or the children? Helen's letters and diary entries dominate the middle section, which is followed by her son Charlie's struggles to find himself on the Point in the 1970s.
VERDICT The last section brings us to the near present and ties up the loose ends, but doesn't really answer the question, Who is the subject of the novel? The way in which the narrative perspective switches between characters may not be for everyone but makes this an excellent choice for book clubs. [See Prepub Alert, 9/10/12.]
Reviewed by Pamela Mann, St. Mary's Coll. Lib., MD , Mar 01, 2013
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