September 2015

THE LAST SEPTEMBER by Nina de Gramont is one of those books I both sped through and savored.

Central to the story are two brothers, Charlie and Eli --- and Brett, the wife of Charlie --- whose lives have been intertwined for years. Brett and Eli met in college and were close friends. One night at a party, Brett met Charlie, who was charismatic and immediately won Brett’s heart, though Eli cautions her about him. He feels Charlie is a philanderer and is destined to break Brett’s heart. Eli is right, but Brett finds herself caught up in Charlie’s spell. Together they forge a rocky marriage and have a daughter. They are tested by the stresses of young marriage, a young child, tight finances, and the pressure that Brett is feeling to complete her dissertation on Emily Dickinson.

Together they also have the challenge of Eli, who flounders through life suffering from mental illness, specifically schizophrenia. Charlie and Brett are always there to pick him up when he falls. When Charlie is found dead at the start of the book, all fingers point to Eli as the murderer. And bam, we are pulled into the story, which has high-rolling psychological drama, the kind I love.

Brett reflects on the back story of her life with both of the brothers and tries to unravel what went awry. And readers are right there with her. There are moments we want to throttle her as her choices have gotten her to where she is now. But this is real life, and it’s messy.

Nina knows how to pace a book. She layers in surprises and has an ability to make us feel for Brett, even when she is making choices that are not necessarily the best ones. The tension between the brothers reminded me of that between the brothers in WHISKEY AND CHARLIE, which was another of my Bets On selections. There is lots to think about and discuss for book groups, namely marriage, mental illness and murder. Three Ms.