Good Harbor – Anita Diamante

Anita Diamante wrote The Red Tent. That in itself is the reason I purchased this book, without so much as reading the back cover (and perhaps because it was on the bargain table).

I have now been further educated on the truth that one good book – a second success does not ensure.

Not to say I didn’t like the book, and I will furnish a synopsis for you here, but the two books were dissimilar to say the least.
The characters were somewhat underdeveloped, and there were really only two characters to develop ~ as compared to The Red Tent, where I came to know and understand Lea, Rachel and all the “Aunties” quite well.
The story was nice (if that’s the kind of book you want to read), but no different than the story of most middle-aged women you know.

Catherine is viewing her life from the inside of a breast-cancer victim. It seems that life itself has betrayed her, first with the death of her 3-year-old son (25 years ago – that she has yet to “deal with”), then the loss of her sister to breast cancer (leaving her without a best friend and confidant), and now with her own cancer issues.
She meets Joyce, who is struggling with her personal issues of career focus change, teenage daughter (who is becoming more and more independent from mom) and distant husband (over-committed to his own job) and the two almost instantly become friends.

Both women crave the relationship, and they share the intimacy of long-time friends (although they have known each other for perhaps six months). Catherine (long-time resident of the New England seaside community) and Joyce (newcomer with a weekend and summer home in the community) develop a routine of meeting at Good Harbor for walks on the beach and girl-talk. Walking with them, we the readers explore the issues of chemotherapy, empty-nest syndrome, loss of a child, return to or withdrawal from religious roots (both women are Jewish), extramarital affairs, and accepting the onset of the mature years.

This is a good book, even great if you want a summer read, or if you are a romance novel fan searching for something with a little more merit.

In retrospect, what I found most interesting was the fact that Joyce’s character is a writer, a serious, sought-after writer of articles and books related to social issues and politics. In this story, she has written a “romance novel” just for “fun” and to “make some money”. In publishing it, she has used a pen name, and seems to be quite embarrassed whenever someone discovers that she is indeed the writer of a dime-store romance. When she meets Catherine (a career librarian), she is sure she will never divulge this secret.

Is it somewhat autobiographical? Is the writer of The Red Tent, using Joyce to explain away her “picnic” of writing “Good Harbor”, a novel far less serious and much more shallow … yet still a bit of fun?

Bottom line … if you have a girlfriend, ever had a real confidant, or crave that kind of friendship … you will enjoy reading Catherine and Joyce’s story, as you sit in your beach chair, and they walk at Good Harbor.