Outer Banks

Further honing her storytelling skills, Siddons ( Peachtree Road ; King's Oak ) delivers a deliciously readable novel of friendship and the perspective brought to it by aging and life's vicissitudes. Kate Abrams hasn't spoken to three of her sorority sisters for 28 years. But now Ginger, the eager rich girl who stole and married Kate's brilliant boyfriend, is hosting a reunion at her home in Nags Head, N.C. And Cecie, the orphan whose wit and cynical reserve attracted Kate, and Fig Newton, the unsightly and bumbling outcast, will both attend. Kate, whose only son drowned while a small boy, now lives in New York's Hamptons with a loving husband and runs a successful interior design business. While fighting ovarian cancer, she has increasingly isolated herself from the real world; during this reunion she must confront and come to terms with her fate. The narrative flows smoothly, journeying seamlessly between places and eras. While the pseudo-thriller ending seems pat, Siddons displays real strength in her subtle characterizations and delineation of emotional nuances. 125,000 first printing; $150,000 ad/promo; BOMC alternate; author tour. (Aug.)