Alden Warren lives on Cape Cod and works for the National Park Service. Her husband vanished two years ago. She wonders if he ran off with his girlfriend or met with a grimmer fate. She’s currently mulling the pros and cons of seeing a married Boston businessman.
Lux Davis is also a Cape Cod local and former drunk best known for once running a school bus into the water. He works several jobs including that of landscaper. He holds the uneasy position of being attracted to Alden while possessing information on her husband’s whereabouts.
Maria Flook’s novel follows the Alden and Lux individually and as their lives intersect. The foggy coastal setting provides a nice backdrop for the cast. Both Alden and Lux are flawed and each harbors a significant amount of guilt for their choices.
Lux offers a slew of scenarios and events ideal for reading group discussion. Flook creates a colorful set of characters in action and appearance. Seeing Cape Cod from a local, working-class perspective is also interesting. Though given a title that implies light, the novel is somewhat dark but definitely enjoyable.
