Bad Summer People

As the tumultuous events of Part 2 unfold, the author begins to break down the many micronarratives that characters use as façades to maintain social power amongst their friends, acquaintances, and rivals. Within this context, each miniature glimpse into each person’s perspective allows Rosenblum to expose the stark differences between how the characters see themselves and each other. This shrewd narrative technique also opens up infinite avenues for the novel’s more satirical points to be wordlessly implied, for Rosenblum often juxtaposes conflicting micronarratives to highlight different characters’ hypocrisy or shortcomings—all without imposing an absolute sense of morality upon the plot. Thus, she manages to highlight The Consequences of Moral Relativism even as she avoids passing summary judgment upon her characters’ actions in an omniscient fashion.

Within the complex interactions that Rosenblum continues to weave, it becomes apparent that the Salcombe hierarchy is created and maintained only by the collective perceptions of its participants. As a prime example of this dynamic, Lauren maintains her position via a façade of perfection—the one shared value of this particular social group. In her attack on Beth, Lauren breaks her façade of reserve and elegance, engaging in direct conflict as if Beth were an equal rather than retaliating indirectly through Rachel’s use of malicious gossip. Lauren therefore violates the unspoken social rule that all conflicts must be kept hidden beneath the surface, with punitive measures meted out in the form of gossip and character assassination. By freeing herself from that social constraint, she frees herself to initiate an affair with Robert. At the same time, Lauren’s actions render her far less sympathetic a character, and her summary dismissal of Beth as a “B-lister” suggests that Lauren is conscious of her self-appointed status as Salcombe royalty. It is also immediately obvious that she is using Robert for her own pleasure and has no real affection for him, a fact that causes Robert to find the affair with her degrading despite his attraction. Likewise, his ongoing willingness to allow himself to be used makes him a less attractive character, and in light of his contemplations over the potential for embezzlement, foreshadow his considerable moral flexibility and overall weakness of character.

Beth’s chapter, which is placed immediately after the altercation with Lauren, explores the theme of Power and Micronarratives and sharply illustrates the differences in perception that occur between the different participants in social interactions. While Lauren and Jen merely note that Beth is a habitual liar, Beth casts herself as the heroine of the drama she creates, using lies as a tool to gain social power and manipulate others by creating false conflicts. Her intention with this divisive technique is to drive friends apart and insert herself in the resulting vacuum, thereby alleviating her loneliness and isolation. Ironically, however, she is repeatedly frustrated when her dysfunctional efforts end up driving away the very people she attempts to manipulate. Beth’s inner thoughts reveal her general lack of awareness that she is a liar; instead, she dwells on her pariah status amongst Lauren’s circle and longs to find a way to gain access to it. She can’t understand why she is universally disliked and fails to see the consequences of her own actions. Thus, her personal micronarrative is that she is merely a victim of popular people like Lauren.

In a sharp contrast to the “main actors” of the novel’s primary drama, the relatively minor characters of Micah and Paul offer outsider perspectives that illuminate the plot in a variety of creative ways. Micah’s position as a bartender allows him to see other people with their guard down as their stories play out in front of him. As a result, he sees all their little lies and betrayals and realizes that none of them are what they appear to be. Likewise, Paul’s outsider perspective allows him to accurately perceive Jason’s jealousy and realize the many ways in which Jason, Sam, and their group embody walking stereotypes. Yet his own subjectivity is satirically revealed when he congratulates himself on being in the music business rather than in finance, for he fails to see that he represents yet another stereotype: that of the music promoter who is much less successful than he pretends to be.

Within the context of the adults’ many machinations and misconceptions, it is important to note that just as Salcombe has been an Eden to the people who grew up spending their summers there, the children of the current generation are still innocent. Unlike her mother, Lauren, Amelie quickly forgets about the unpleasant incident with the ketchup-spill and Beth’s laughter; just like Daniel Leavit in the Prologue and Sam and Jason when they were children, Amelie’s behavior reflects an innocence that remains unaffected by the half-hidden, darker aspects of life in Salcombe. Likewise, the memory of innocent childhood pleasure is what compels the adults to coming back, for they remember Salcombe as the Eden it was for them before they became tainted by adulthood in all its falsity and shallowness.