“EDGEWATER,” by Courtney Sheinmel, Harry N. Abrams, Sept. 8, 2015, Hardcover, $17.95 (young adult)
By all appearances Lorrie Hollander is one of the elite — she has the right clothes, moves in the right circles and lives in a town of extraordinary wealth and privilege.
Appearances can be deceiving. Edgewater, the mansion Lorrie lives in with her sister and aunt is crumbling; once the jewel of the area, it’s now an eyesore. It’s been 12 years since Lorrie’s mother skipped town, leaving her two daughters in the care of her unstable sister. There’s always been money, although sometimes spotty in its delivery, but suddenly, the summer before Lorrie’s senior year, the money disappears.
Charlie is a playboy whose been kicked out of almost every exclusive school out there. He’s also the son of a high-ranking senator. When he meets Lorrie, he finds himself drawn to her, and wants to know more. Lorrie likes Charlie, but is ashamed of her family and is desperate to keep her true identity secret. Little does Lorrie know that Charlie’s family is hiding a secret, too, and their secret could change her life forever.
“Edgewater” is a story of relationships — Lorrie and her aunt, Lorrie and her sister, Lorrie and Charlie, Lorrie and her best friend, Lorrie and her horse… You get the idea. I think my favorite relationship, though, is between Lorrie and Edgewater. Despite the moldy carpets and nests of bugs and animals, Lorrie feels a connection to the house she can’t stand living in. She’s drawn to it even when she doesn’t want to be. This element of Lorrie’s story is brilliant on the part of author Courtney Sheinmel. It highlights how we attach meaning to inanimate objects and how they can mean as much or more to us than the people we surround ourselves with.
Sheinmel has also done a fine job creating a cast of supporting characters that you love, like, feel ambivalent toward and straight out hate. Lorrie and Charlie aren’t the only ones who are evolving throughout. These supporting characters have stories of their own, and those stories help shape the novel as a whole. Lorrie’s aunt Gigi in particular is a both maddening and piteous character study.
While I didn’t find one particular plot twist terribly satisfying, I did find “Edgewater” as a whole to be intriguing and well worth a second read.
