Hope you're feeling better soon.
* Chapter 10 is strictly about Brian and Tess's first time having sex and chapter 11 deals with the aftermath of that event. I'm aware this is a family forum so I won't go into the nitty gritty. (Hi moderators!! ) I will say that my intention was to show that this was a kind of battle between the two of them to define the nature of their relationship. Tess was still trying to keep things on a physical level, while Brian wanted more. If anyone wants to discuss this in more detail, I'm game. If not, that's cool, too. (On a similar note, if anyone is up for a discussion of the use of sex and language in the book in general, let me know. That's what seems to get the most attention in off-board discussions and reviews, and I'd love to have the opportunity to discuss and/or defend my use of both aspects here.)
I rarely read books in this genre so I'm unsure how appropriate your descriptions might be. Your use of language seems realistic for your characters.
* Brian's instinct is to bully Tim out of Rachel's life while Tess thinks she should be left to learn from her mistakes. At this point in the story, which approach do you think was better?
Neither. The police would have been the best choice.
* Nevertheless, Tess later tries to reason with Rachel a little more about her choices. Do you think she should have, or could have, done more?
See above. Tim could have easily been sent away with a little pressure on the police and DA from David (the lawyer). The argument that Tim was untouchable is debunked by the fact that Tim was able to have his competitor arrested.
* The disastrous Fourth Of July gathering highlights not only Tess's painful relationship with her mother, but the dysfunction of the Bellows family in general. What are your thoughts about the family that created Tess?
The major disrupting influence seems to be Tess's mother's venom and her father's failure to assert himself. The family desperately needs counseling.
* Much is made about the class distinction between the summer residents and the year-round locals. Chapter 15 is a study of the haves and have-nots. What are your impressions of both groups? Do you find that this kind of class/money distinctions are common in your area?
Socioeconomic class conflicts are common in American literature so I'm sure they must exist, but I've never been involved in any.
* Tess is threatened by Ashley, Brian's ex, yet she feels protective of her as well. Why do you think this is?
Tess operates on her emotions which makes her mercurial.
* Both Brian's and Tess's past come calling in the form of Brian's father, Rick, and Tess's ex-husband, Jason. What affect did these visits have on their relationship?
Both Brian and Tess behaved abominably. I liked them both less after these events. To me, Brian's whiny and weak, so I don't like him much anyway.
Did you take the given reasons for these visits at face value, or did you think there was more to it?
It seemed that Brian's father was truly trying to mend fences. Jason may have had an ulterior motive for his visit but Tess torpedoed him before we could find out.
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