Library News and Views

A library is a wonderful source of anticipation, excitement and imagination. At the Havre-Hill County Library, I begin the search for my next adventure and seek out the new arrivals. I am drawn to the new release “The Girls of August” by Anne River Siddons.

Siddons is known as one of America’s top female southern writers and she is an expert at using words that can evoke the smell of an ocean breeze, conjure the silken caress of a rose petal or mesmerize the reader with the sway of moss in a summer storm. I check out this new arrival, take it home and join “The Girls of August.”

Four female college students, in their early 20s, make a pact. They will find themselves involved in the ritual of spending a week out of every year reuniting and reigniting their friendship. The “Girls” have been at this for 15 years, and now in their forties, life has intruded. The ritual gathering has been placed on the back burner and the pact has been broken. A new marriage, a new member, and a new resolve causes the group to gather once again.

On isolated Tiger Island off the South Carolina coast, the stage is set. I meet Madison, who longs for a child and who is the narrator of the tale. Rachael, who is sharp tongued and cries silently in her darkened room. Barbara, who is a teacher and drinks just a little more than she should. Finally, there’s Baby, the very young trophy-wife, who is of a different generation and a different social class.

This novel depicts female friendship and the complexity of the bonds that bring friends together and the trials that tear them apart. It is a story that has been covered time and again by varied authors. The story has the expected revelations and the expected outcome, but within the covers of the book I also experience the unexpected. I wriggle my toes in white sand, stop to consider the miracle of sea glass, and revel in a Bloody Mary breakfast. I discover the sensual call of the ocean, the aroma of the sting of the bee, the warmth of the sun and the beauty of the ocelot. It is through these discoveries that I quickly forgive the story for its mundane plot and relish the sensory delights within the pages.

If you are looking for a novel that is fully realized for both story and characters, I would suggest that you seek out “Outer Banks” or “Low Country, Up Island,” two beautiful novels by Anne River Siddons. If you are seeking a quick read, a gentle story or a quick injection of southern charm, then “The Girls of August” delivers.