Dear Great Book Guru, July is one of my favorite Sea Cliff months - so many great events plus all those Sunset Serenades to enjoy! I would love to read a book set on Long Island that captures some of the summer vibe. Any suggestions?  Fan of Sea Cliff Summers

Dear Fan of Sea Cliff Summers, Emma Cline’s THE GUEST is set entirely on Long Island’s East End and covers one summer week.   Alex is a twenty-two-year-old - bright, beautiful, and …homeless - thrown out by her New York City roommates for not paying rent, drug use, and stealing from them. She has been banned from local restaurants and bars, and is being stalked by Dom - a mysterious, threatening character from whom she has stolen a large amount of money.   But in a “lucky” move she meets Simon a much older, very wealthy man who has a home in the Hamptons - where we first meet Alex. A few weeks into her stay, she angers him and she is once again looking for shelter. The rest of the book is a Homeric-like odyssey; she travels throughout the Hamptons meeting an assortment of mostly very wealthy, unscrupulous characters who she beguiles, bewitches, and betrays only to be trapped by her own missteps. The novel is a suspenseful tale of one woman’s misguided attempts to survive, but it is also a harsh indictment of a money-driven society that treats people with shameful disregard. Alex is not blameless, but it is hard not to see her as a victim.  Highly recommended!