The Castaways: a group of 4 couples who have formed a sort of love octagon. Each couple seems more discontent in their marriage, which is exasperated when one of the couples, Tess and Greg, drown on their 12th anniversary, leaving behind their seven-year-old twins Finn and Chloe. The novel is divided into sections focusing on each of the living characters. It jumps between descriptions of each character's grief and the Castaways' shared past, most notably the vacations they've taken together. Depression, loss, drug and alcohol addiction, and adultery are all present; however, I didn't find the book that sad (and I'm a crier). I think the problem was that I never really got attached to any of the characters, though they were fairly well developed.

Like all of Hilderbrand's novels, The Castaways is set on Nantucket. The small town feel coupled with this wealthy society's desire for gossip seems to foster the perfect environment for illicit affairs. Of the few books of Hilderbrands I've read, it seems to be a recurring theme. Even the covers of all of her novels are similar; they're all feet on a beach. Overall, I find myself unable to really get into her writing, though every once in awhile she throws in some great metaphors. For example, "He went into their bedroom. It was a bad neighborhood where his feelings would likely get mugged. He armed himself with a stiff drink." It was these brief comparative flashes, and a desire to know what happened to Greg and Tess that kept me reading. I think I would recommend it as a quick summer beach read.