“Down with the Shipmans” by Meg Mitchell Moore follows three very different sisters: Mae, a mess effectively restarting her life as a dog trainer; Natalie, a tradwife influencer and dairy farmer; and Jordan, a lesbian crisis comms fixer. They’re summoned to their family’s New Hampshire beach house for the first time since their mother died, only to learn their father wants to sell it. Chaos ensues.
I don’t always love dramatic family stories (why read about that kind of thing when most of us are already living it?) but this one sits closer to Elin Hilderbrand territory in tone, which I appreciated. The rotating perspectives are well done. Just when you think you’ve figured out who’s right and who’s wrong, the next chapter reframes everything. Good reminder that family dynamics almost always live in the grey area.
The ending climax felt a little abrupt and tonally odd, but I can’t think of a better way it could have gone, so I’ll let it slide.
I liked this one much better than “Mansion Beach,” and would call it a return to form for Moore. Good on audio, and I imagine equally good in print. Either way, tee this one up for a beach trip this summer.
PS: Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing me with an Advanced Reading Copy
