This story takes place on Cape Cod in the early 1960's, although the time is inconsequential. In fact, with the exception of a few references to the songs on the radio or the movies playing at the theater, the reader could easily think this story was more contemporary. The two families involved (the Colemans and the Shepherds) have a long-standing history -- one that goes back generations.
Samuel and Sarah Coleman have two sons, Isaac and Asa. Their friendship with Nate Shepherd saw him through the death of his wife Annie and then through the courtship of his second wife Noelle, who is eighteen years his junior (and was Annie's hospice nurse). However, they seem to be a perfect match, and the Coleman's welcome Noelle into their extended family.
The book gets its name from the gatherings that the families have over the summers, enjoying fresh clam chowder and the titular gin. The families have watched Isaac and Asa grow into upstanding, young, Christian men, with great work ethics, easy smiles, and a charm that draws young women in. But everything changes one fateful summer.
Asa and Noelle have an undeniable chemistry. And despite their Christian beliefs, her marriage vows, and his growing guilt about lying to his family, they begin to act on their feelings and start an illicit affair. They often vow to break things off, but their attraction to each other is too strong and they simply can not stay away from each other. Even the distance of university cannot keep them apart.
Soon enough, though, they learn that their affair has consequences that they never expected, the least of which is the toll that the secret-keeping has taken on both of them. The way in which the author reveals all of this is simultaneously sublime and breath-taking. The narrative makes one want to vacation (or even move!) to Cape Cod and enjoy the picturesque and idyllic setting.
I really only found two negatives in this book. The first is that the familial unit of the Coleman's as a whole is, at times, a bit too perfect, a little too ideal, and just too adept at handling every situation that comes their way. And the second is that the ending felt a little abrupt. To avoid spoiling the ending, I'll simply say that it would have been nice to see the everyone's reactions more fully fleshed out when the the affair was revealed.
Set against the beautiful backdrop of Cape Cod, The Gin &
Chowder Club is an eloquent, tender story of friendship,
longing, and the enduring power of loveβ¦
The friendship between the Coleman and Shepherd families
is as old and comfortable as the neighboring houses they
occupy each summer on Cape Cod. Samuel and Sarah Coleman
love those warm months by the water; the evenings spent on
their porch, enjoying gin and tonics, good conversation
and homemade clam chowder. Here theyβve watched their
sons, Isaac and Asa, grow into fine young men, and
watched, too, as Nate Shepherd, aching with grief at the
loss of his first wife, finally found love again with the
much younger Noelle.
But beyond the surface of these idyllic gatherings, the
growing attraction between Noelle and handsome, college-
bound Asa threatens to upend everything. In spite of her
guilt and misgivings, Noelle is drawn into a reckless
secret affair with far-reaching consequences. And over the
course of one bittersweet, unforgettable summer, Asa will
learn more than he ever expected about loveβthe joys and
heartache it awakens in us, the lengths weβll go to keep
it, and the countless ways it can change our lives foreverβ¦
To Asaβs surprise, the days passed quickly...and even though
each day seemed to blend into all the rest, there was one
daily occurrence that gave him something to look forward to:
the delivery of mail. Taking two granite steps at a time
into the school post office, Asa would quickly scan the rows
of mail slots with small combination locks on their doors.
With a tightening in his chest, he would peer through the
tiny glass window to see if there were any envelopes leaning
up against the inside wall. Noelle had proven true to her
word and, after her first letter, Asa had forgiven her for
not meeting him that last night. She wrote often...two or
three times a week. Asa would slip her envelope into a book
and find a seat on the grass under the reaching boughs of an
old oak tree or at a worn secluded table by the window in
the library. There, with the sun casting light across the
pages, he would slowly read...running his fingers over the
pale stationary and thinking of the slender hands that had
touched it last...the hands that had touched
him...and given him such pleasure.
Noelleβs letters were warm and funny and spoke of life at
home and at work. She wrote about the changing weather and
the ocean and the stars. She wrote about Nate finding a
bottle of champagne by the pool... where in the world had
that come from??? And she always closed with thoughts of
him...she missed him...every part of him...her
thoughts stirred his fire and kept the embers burning. Asa
clung to her words and they sustained him...more than food
or drink or air...he lived for these...elegant lines linked
together to give him hope...
© 2003-2026