This sequel to Beth Gutcheon’s LEEWAY COTTAGE begins after the death of Laurus and Sydney Moss and chronicles the division of their property among three adult children. During a weekend at their family’s seaside summer cottage, the heirs take turns choosing from their parents’ belongings. Old resentments combine with new frictions to provide tension and often amusement. 

The format is unusual. Many characters alternate with only a paragraph or two for each viewpoint. I found this arrangement choppy and difficult to read. It may have worked better as a play than a novel. A section of photographs in the center of the book puzzled me. Who are these people in real life? And how did their photographs come to be used in a work of fiction? Another unusual contrivance is the use of italicized remarks from the dead. There’s a biographical section in the back which gives more information about the characters.  

Although a sequel, GOOD-BYE AND AMEN is a stand-alone novel. I thoroughly enjoyed the surprise at the end of the book.

December 13, 2008