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Jumping Back In Time Sheds Light On Present

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By STEPHANIE BONNETT

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 28, 2008

"Off Season," by Anne Rivers Siddons (Grand Central Publishing, $24.99)
Lilly Constable McCall is in the car on a road trip to the summer home of her childhood. Along the way, she's talking to Silas, the cat, and the ashes of her dead husband in the opening paragraphs of Anne Rivers Siddons' latest novel, "Off Season." Discombobulated by her loss and feeling suffocated by the concern of her adult daughters, Lilly has fled her primary home in Virginia in search of the peace and comfort of her family's cottage in Edgewater, Maine.

Jumping back in time, the narrative then moves the reader into the past, to when Lilly was 11, spending an idyllic summer at the cottage with her family and assorted friends whose families also summered in Edgewater. Lilly is a feisty tomboy and the leader of her pack of friends, organizing outings from her home with the other kids.
Lilly meets two young people who have tremendous impact on her life at the beginning of this particular summer. One is Peaches Davenport, a recently orphaned girl whose grandparents have a summer home near Lilly's family's cottage. The other is Jon Lowell, a beautiful 12-year-old boy whose family has rented a home for the summer in Edgewater for the first time.

From first contact with each, Lilly is repulsed by Peaches and drawn to Jon in equal measure. Peaches is a self-absorbed and prim young lady, in contrast to Lilly's outgoing and adventurous nature. Jon is Frick to Lilly's Frack - they connect immediately and become each other's first love.
Peaches is jealous of Lilly and, in particular, of her relationship with Jon. Unkind words from Peaches, lashing out at Jon and Lilly, produce a heartbreaking result. Following that summer, Lilly retreats into the safety of her family and into a close relationship with her father, leading an extremely insulated life. They do not return to Edgewater for a number of years.

Just before entering college, Lilly meets Cam, who will become her husband, the father of her children and the love of her life. Cam pulls Lilly out of the protective shell she and her father have created for themselves, and together they enjoy a loving and secure life, building a family together. When Cam dies, unexpectedly, at the Edgewater cottage, Lilly begins an introspective journey back into her past, ultimately understanding the interconnectedness of the people in her life.

Rich with complex relationships among Lilly and her parents, her brother, the men in her life, her friends and her children, "Off Season" is a beautifully written novel with just a touch of mysticism. While Siddons may have missed a golden opportunity to explore some of the ramifications of actions and choices on some of those relationships by packing so much information into the very end of the novel, overall, it is a satisfying and enjoyable read.

Stephanie Bonnett of Kansas City, Mo., is a freelance writer.

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