Cheek lends a keen eye and deft touch to ensemble scenes.

The troupe’s before-the-fall glory works in service of a seeping expositional intrigue-but aren’t these waning, languorous days of summer, dear reader, exactly what you came for? The Victorians are well-furnished, the dialogue well-paced, and we’re absolutely privileged with the company of our dazzling visitors.

Read Full Review >Ĭheek’s scenery is luxuriant, and his cast chews it adeptly. As much as I love a quick read, this is one book that I would have liked to see a bit more fleshed out. a quick, fun read, and the erotica is nicely metered out - but ultimately it feels a bit inconsequential. It is one thing to write unlikable characters - a trope that I love in books - but the denizens of Cape May felt flat and unmotivated. Cheek’s writing is atmospheric, and his setting is positively tangible, but I wanted a bit more in terms of character development. His portrayal of Cape May feels like a character in and of itself, and I am sure I will not be alone in saying that I craved the crisp coolness of a gin and tonic while reading this book. Cheek is a solid writer, that much is certain. I cannot say for sure whether I liked any of the characters or supported their actions, but I could not stop reading. This is a steamy novel, no doubt about it, and the unlikable characters make the sensuality seem that much more depraved and reckless in a 'can’t look away' kind of way. What initially seems like a quick beach read quickly turns into something much darker. While a flash-forward technique at the book’s end feels like a bit of a cheat, it shows the repercussions of betrayal over decades. Creek is also good on the hypocrisies of the era, the double standards. The latter half of the book is given over to the affair, written brilliantly by Creek. Creek’s success is that the tension of his book lies not just in the promise of an affair between Henry and Alma but also in watching Effie, albeit through her husband’s eyes, draw ever closer to the hedonism. The eerie landscape that threatens to ruin the honeymoon turns into an lawless playground. In his debut Creek makes good use of the Cape’s emptiness in off-season. Their opening-up to each other is tenderly depicted by Creek, whose sensual writing brings immediate intimacy with his characters and their situation. Billed as a cross between The Great Gatsby and Ian McEwan’s On Chesil Beach, for once the marketing blurbs seem accurate, in plot and theme if not quite in terms of the writing.

Cape May by Chip Cheek