Last night I finished reading The Beach House, a fun and thought-provoking novel by New York Times bestselling author Jane Green. This afternoon, I had the pleasure of speaking with Ms. Green on a conference call with other bloggers.

I admit that I first thought The Beach House would be a light, quick read, something someone might read at - say - a beach house, resting on an Adirondack, toes buried in the sand. I was correct about the "quick" part, particularly because I didn't want to put it down, but "light" isn't a good descriptor. Rather, Ms. Green creates a complex situation that at its core is about simplifying. The take-home message is one of finding oneself or reinventing oneself, and essentially about coming "home" in many senses of the word.

During the conference call, Ms. Green notes The Beach House is a character-driven book, whereas her next novel (due out next year) is more a plot-driven novel. Indeed, the characters in The Beach House are richly developed. Instead of hearing a tale from a single perspective, the reader is delighted by learning the other sides as well.

I remarked that it was as if there were no true "villains" in the book. Indeed, there is only one person who seems completely corrupted. Other characters have flaws, some of them very serious, but we also see why. A fellow blogger challenged me to explain how a particular female character wasn't evil. Although I choked a bit with my response on the call, I can say with certainty that I can understand where she was coming from. I shall not reveal any plot points, but while this woman does some rather unfortunate things, it comes out of needy vulnerability.

I identified with many of the characters simultaneously. I also recognized many ways in which I was distanced from the characters. This is important, for anything that hits "too close to home" becomes more about therapy and less about entertainment. Nonetheless, reading The Beach House made me think a great deal about the portions of the book that made my gut turn because of my own vulnerabilities.

As I slept last night, I had a funny dream about junior prom. I was surrounded by friends from many years ago, people with whom I could just be "myself." Indeed, my friends told me I could just wear jeans to the dance, because it was all about being comfortable. They had arrived rather unexpectedly, and I felt awkward despite seeing friendly faces. I searched through my wardrobe to discover what I would feel best about wearing. Meanwhile, the friends sat in the limo, waiting for my decision. Alas, my alarm clock went off before I could find out what I would have chosen. I suspect the dream was motivated by the themes in The Beach House. So, you could say I was touched by this novel.

I enjoyed the call this afternoon since it is fun to hear the author's thoughts about her own book as well as some of the "back story" in developing this and her other novels. Thank you to Beth Feldman of RoleMommy and BeyondPR for arranging the call, and to Jane Green for answering our questions and chatting with us about The Beach House and beyond.