Charles McGrath, an illustrious writer, produces beautiful prose in The Summer Friend, a memoir of friendship and summer. He narrates everything that has made summers special throughout his life. He begins by describing the fond memories of the summer family vacations he enjoyed as a child and continues to explain how he created similar experiences for his children and grandchildren.
He introduces his friend, Chip, his wife, and his family early in the story and conveys a great sense of camaraderie that the McGrath family had with theirs. The wives and children were compatible, and many family get-togethers, some growing into neighborhood traditions, provided years of enjoyment for all.
Activities included conventional summer fare such as swimming, boating, and golfing. Since the setting was in New England, there was also lobstering, fishing, and fireworks. Chip was creative and inventive as well as competitive. He proposed athletic challenges and silly driveway games that developed into full-blown events that would entertain the families for hours and days. Charles McGrath, also nicknamed Chip, had memorable men-only outings in addition to family times. We know from the novel’s beginning that Chip dies young, and this book is a tribute to their friendship and the great value of companionship.
