Cheek's lyrical portrayal of '50s small-town America, and the erotic tales of the gang's escapades are thoroughly sexy and engrossing * Heat *Ī sensuous story, full of nostalgia and wistful charm. * Mail on Sunday (Best New Fiction) *Ĭheek's glamorous and nostalgic first novel is an atmospheric tale of sexual longing and loss in 1950s America that n ods to classics like The Great Gatsby and Revolutionary Road * Independent (30 Best New Books for 2019) * Cheek's deft way with characters and consequence makes for a heady cocktail.

The atmosphere of this torrid Fifties psychodrama lingers long after the final page.Southern honeymooners Henry and Effie are sucked into a Gatsby-esque bacchanal that unleashes powerful, devastating desires. With shades of F Scott Fitzgerald, Revolutionary Road and even Mad Men, this is one of those books that transport you to a different era and leaves you mesmerised by bad behaviour and human failings. Brilliantly unsettling - one of those books that stays with you. Glamorous and nostalgic and very sexy, Cape May is a novel about marriage, lust, shabby seaside towns and lots of gin. A modern classic' Whitney Scharer, author of THE AGE OF LIGHT 'An exquisitely crafted exploration of young love, the power of desire, and the lifelong ramifications of choices made in an instant. I loved it' Lucy Foley, author of THE HUNTING PARTY ' Gorgeous, seductive storytelling, martini-dry prose reminiscent of James Salter's finest. The empty beach town becomes their playground, and as they sneak into abandoned summer homes, go sailing, walk naked under the stars, make love, and drink a great deal of gin, Henry and Effie slip from innocence into betrayal, with irrevocable consequences that reverberate through the rest of their lives. Just as they get ready to cut the trip short, a decadent and glamorous set suddenly sweep them up into their drama - Clara, a beautiful socialite who feels her youth slipping away Max, a wealthy playboy and Clara's lover and Alma, Max's aloof and mysterious half-sister. It's the end of the season and the town is deserted.Īs they tentatively discover each other, they begin to realize that everyday married life might be disappointingly different from their happily-ever-after fantasy. Henry and Effie, young newlyweds from Georgia, arrive in Cape May, New Jersey, for their honeymoon. ' Nods to classics like The Great Gatsby and Revolutionary Road' Independent ' Glamorous, nostalgic and very sexy ' Paula Hawkins

Cape May by Chip Cheek