28 Summers

“Swans mate for life, Link thinks. This has always made them seem morally superior to other birds, although somewhere he read that swans cheat. He hopes that was an internet hoax.” 

Link noticing the swans at the beginning of the book, and reflecting on their supposed fidelity, immediately introduces the book’s themes of infidelity, romantic love, and loyalty. Link’s vague acknowledgment that swans “cheat”—and his desire for them to stay loyal to their mates—reflects a subconscious understanding of Mallory and Jake’s relationship. Hilderbrand also begins and ends the novel from Link’s perspective, making this introduction a fitting way to begin the novel.

“When we first meet our girl Mallory Blessing (and make no mistake, Mallory is our girl; we’re with her through the good, the bad, and the damn-near hopeless) […]” 

This quote quickly and unambiguously establishes Mallory as the book’s protagonist. Jake is referred to as “our boy,” which unites the two of them as the most central characters. Hilderbrand’s style uses the narrator to help guide the reader’s reactions to the main characters.

“This island chooses people, Aunt Greta said. It chose Bo and me, and I think it’s chosen you as well. Mallory remembered feeling…ordained by that comment, as though she were being invited into an exclusive club. Yes, she thought. I’m a Nantucket person. She loved the sun, the beach, the waves of the south shore. Next stop, Portugal! Uncle Bo would cry out, hands raised over his head, as he charged into the ocean. She loved the pond, the swans, the red-winged blackbirds, the dragonflies, the reeds and cattails. She loved surf-casting and kayaking with her uncle and taking long beach walks with her aunt, who carried a stainless-steel kitchen bowl to hold the treasures they found—quahog shells, whelks, slippers and scallops, the occasional horseshoe carapace, pieces of satiny driftwood, interesting rocks, beach glass. As the days passed, they became more discerning, throwing away shells that were chipped and rocks that wouldn’t be as pretty once they dried…although Mallory was often lonely in New York, she has not felt lonely in Nantucket even once.”

The idea that Nantucket can “choose” people (and that it has “chosen” Mallory) emphasizes the island’s role in the book. It also adds a sense of belonging to Mallory’s perception of the island, its ecosystem, and its community. The concrete, sensory details in this passage such as specific birds and shells reinforce the idea that Mallory both knows Nantucket intimately and continues to be struck with its beauty.