'GLAMOROUS, NOSTALGIC AND BRILLIANTLY UNSETTLING' Paula Hawkins 'THE NEW GATSBY... SO, SO GOOD' Stylist (The Top 10 Books of 2019) 'AN ATMOSPHERIC TALE OF SEXUAL LONGING... NODS TO CLASSICS LIKE THE GREAT GATSBY AND REVOLUTIONARY ROAD' Independent (30 Best New Books for 2019) SEPTEMBER 1957. Henry and Effie, young newlyweds from Georgia, arrive in Cape May, New Jersey, for their honeymoon. It's the end of the season and the town is deserted. As they tentatively discover each other they begin to realise that everyday married life might be disappointingly different from their happy-ever-after fantasy. Just as they get ready to cut the trip short, a light goes on in one of the houses on their street and a decadent and glamorous set suddenly sweep them up into their drama - Clara, a beautiful socialite who feels her youth slipping away; Max, a wealthy playboy and Clara's lover; and Alma, Max's aloof and mysterious half-sister, to whom Henry is irresistibly drawn. The empty beach town becomes their playground as Henry and Effie slip from innocence into betrayal, with irrevocable consequences that reverberate through the rest of their lives...

Author Biography

CHIP CHEEK's stories have appeared in the Southern Review, Harvard Review and Washington Square, among others. He's been awarded scholarships to the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, the Tin House Summer Writers' Workshop, and the Vermont Studio Center. CAPE MAY is his debut novel.