The Shore

A father’s cancer diagnosis upends his family’s life in Runde’s vivid if unfocused debut. Brian and Margot Dunne made a living renting homes to tourists in Seaside, N.J., until a brain tumor sidelined Brian, making him irritable, confused, and unrecognizable to his family. Eight months after the diagnosis, Margot is struggling to care for him while running the business, and she dreams of leaving everything behind. Their 17-year-old daughter, Liz, meanwhile, cultivates an interest in her charming but self-absorbed coworker at an umbrella rental stand, and 16-year-old Evy discovers Margot posts in an online forum for wives whose partners have brain tumors, and then joins under an assumed identity to reconnect with her. As Brian’s health deteriorates, Margot makes a rash decision, and it’s up to Evy to bring her family back together. Runde’s evocative descriptions conjure the salty humidity of the Jersey Shore (“They stayed out until the waves were dark, pulsing shadows, until the last streak of red-gold sun rushed out of the sky”), but some narrative threads feel extraneous, such as the romance between Evy and her classmate. Though uneven, this transportive work successfully captures the dissonance and resilience of family. Agent: Elisabeth Weed, Book Group. (May)