Your parents never leave you. You can shut them out of your life, but they'll haunt you and maybe haunt your marriage and then you'll discover that you ARE them.
So it happens for Jack Griffin, the protagonist in "That Old Cape Magic." He is on the way to Cape Cod to dispose of his father's ashes and then attend a wedding in which his daughter is maid of honor.
As the weekend unfolds, we flash back to Griffin's childhood, his college professor parents and their summers on Cape Cod. He seems to have no fondness for his parents, but he can't let them go.
Soon, Griffin's marriage breaks and his mother dies. Then, a year later on the weekend of his daughter's wedding, he is finally able to put his parents and his mind to rest.
Facing issues of all baby boomers, Griffin grapples with the older and younger generations and has to deal with in-laws, too. And he's confused about his career; should he return to the screen-writing of his youth, or remain a college English professor?
The book starts slowly, but the story draws you in. There are comic moments and in-law horror stories. You might recognize your own life in parts of Griffin's.
It's a well-written, worthwhile read.
I've been meaning to read this. I love Russo. But I still haven't gotten to his last book!