At the age of 29, Sydney has already been once divorced andonce widowed. Trying to regain her footing once again, shehas answered an ad to tutor the teenage daughter of a wellto-do couple as they spend a sultry summer in theiroceanfront New Hampshire cottage.But when the Edwards' two grown sons, Ben and Jeff,arrive at the beach house, Sydney finds herself caught upin a destructive web of old tensions and bitter divisions. Asthe brothers vie for her affections, the fragile existenceSydney has rebuilt for herself is threatened.With the subtle wit, lyrical language, and brilliantinsight into the human heart that has led her to be called"an author at one with her métier" (Miami Herald), Shreveweaves a novel about marriage, family, and the supremecourage that it takes to love.