A tragic poolside accident threatens to unravel two disparate families in this gripping debut novel of suspense and culture clash set in the Hamptons.
The East End follows two families—the wealthy, elite Sheffields and the working-class Halperns—who live in the rarified seaside community of the Hamptons. Corey Halpern, a local high schooler from a troubled home, is desperate to leave the Hamptons and start a new life somewhere else. His last summer before college, he settles for the escapism he finds in breaking into the neighboring mansions.
One night just before Memorial Day weekend, he breaks into the wrong home at the wrong time: the Sheffield estate, where he and his mother, Gina, work. Under the cover of darkness, Leo Sheffield—billionaire CEO, patriarch and owner of the vast lakeside manor—arrives unexpectedly with his lover. After a shocking poolside accident, everything depends on Leo burying the truth before his family and friends arrive for the holiday weekend. Unfortunately for him, Corey saw what happened, as did other eyes in the shadows.
Told through multiple points of view, The East End highlights the socioeconomic divide in the Hamptons, but also how the basic human need for connection and trust can transcend class. Secrecy, obsession and desperation dictate each character’s path. In a race against time, each critical moment holds life in the balance as Corey, Gina and Leo approach a common breaking point. With an ending as explosive as the Memorial Day fireworks on the island, this spectacular debut welcomes a bright new voice in fiction.
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“Characters bound by family, defined by place, and divided by great fortune converge…with all the friction of envy and deep longing.”
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Devin Murphy, author of Tiny Americans