Sydney, at the age of 29, has already been divorced once and widowed once. Needing some balance in her life, she answers an ad to tutor Julie, the teenage daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Edwards. This requires spending the summer in their oceanfront New Hampshire cottage. It starts out as a great opportunity. She loves the ocean, working with Julie and conversing with Mr. Edwards. But things go awry when the Edwards' sons, Ben and Jeff, show up for a visit.

Immediately, Jeff consumes Sydney's thoughts and heart and a romance develops. They move in together and within a year a wedding is planned. But the time is not what you would call blissful. Sydney is caught in the midst of a very confusing and destructive sibling ordeal that she doesn't understand. Because of the turmoil, Ben refuses to attend the wedding. And of course, Sydney feels responsible and wants to bring the brothers together.

As the big day approaches, Sydney calls on Ben to plead with him to attend the wedding. She fails to mention this visit to Jeff. When Ben does show, it upsets Jeff so much that he can hardly stay in the same room with him. Then, on the morning of the wedding, Jeff informs Sydney that he's going kayaking and assures her he'll be back in time for the ceremony. But as the time nears for the ceremony to begin and no sign of the groom, a search party is sent to find him. When Jeff is found safe and sound, it's time for Sydney and Jeff to have a heart-to-heart talk. Wait until you find out his reason for being late. But the real shocker comes when he tells her why he actually proposed. Will they go through with the wedding vows?

BODY SURFING by Anita Shreve is an intriguing and disturbing family drama filled with bitterness, secrets and deceit. The characters are insightful and complex, even though some are not likable. This was a story that once I started, I could not put down until the end.