Hannah Orenstein’s fifth novel “Maine Characters” delivers a poignant exploration of estranged sisterhood against the tranquil backdrop of Fox Hill Lake. With the precision of a sommelier discerning notes in a fine wine, Orenstein uncorks a story both tangy with conflict and smooth with redemption, showcasing her growth as a storyteller since her debut with “Playing with Matches” in 2017.
This emotionally layered narrative follows Vivian Levy and Lucy Webster—half-sisters who’ve never met—as they collide at their father’s lakeside cabin following his unexpected death. Their enforced summer together becomes a masterclass in grief, forgiveness, and the courage required to rebuild family bonds that never properly existed.
Alternating Perspectives: Two Sides of a Fractured Coin
Orenstein employs dual perspectives with remarkable dexterity, allowing readers to inhabit both sisters’ minds as they navigate their precarious new reality. The alternating viewpoint structure serves the story beautifully, illuminating how the same events can be interpreted through dramatically different lenses shaped by privilege, abandonment, and expectations.
Vivian, the polished New York sommelier, arrives at the lake house intending to scatter her father’s ashes and promptly list the property. Her practiced metropolitan confidence masks a deep well of resentment toward her father’s habitual emotional distance and the suspicions she harbored about his secret life.
Lucy, a high school English teacher whose marriage is unraveling, has always known about her half-sister but feels perpetually second-best. Her quiet dignity and understated determination make her immensely relatable—she’s fighting not just for her family home but for validation that her relationship with her father mattered.
Setting as Character: Fox Hill Lake’s Immersive Presence
The fictional Fox Hill Lake emerges as a full-fledged character in its own right. Orenstein, drawing from her own lifelong connection to a southern Maine lake, renders the setting with meticulous attention:
“The exit off the highway is so sharp, Vivian Levy throws her hand over the urn so it doesn’t topple off the passenger seat. She’s never liked to drive these dangerous roads, but she had no other choice. She needed to get out of New York City, get out of her head—fast.”
From the forty-seven wooden steps leading down to the waterfront to the weather-beaten dock where loons glide past at sunset, every sensory detail feels authentic. The lake house itself—with its screen doors that slap shut, the stone fireplace built with rocks from the shore, and the worn cushions on the deck chairs—becomes a repository of multigenerational memories that both sisters must reckon with.
Flawed Characters: Beautifully Human in Their Imperfections
The novel’s greatest strength lies in its wholly believable cast of characters who are delightfully, frustratingly human in their complexities. No one is purely hero or villain—they’re all navigating the aftermath of choices made decades ago, some well-intentioned but disastrous in their consequences.
Vivian initially comes across as entitled and dismissive, but Orenstein peels back her defensive layers to reveal a woman struggling with betrayal and identity. Lucy’s sweet exterior masks a spine of steel and simmering resentments. Their late father Hank emerges posthumously as a man whose cowardice and compartmentalization damaged everyone who loved him, while their mothers—Celeste and Dawn—harbor their own secrets and grudges.
The sisters’ relationships with the men in their lives mirror and inform their evolving bond with one another. Vivian’s affair with her married boss Oscar initially seems to repeat her father’s pattern of deception, while Lucy’s journey from clinging to her marriage to finding new romantic possibilities tracks with her growing independence.
Where the Novel Shines Brightest
Several elements elevate “Maine Characters” by Hannah Orenstein from standard women’s fiction to something more memorable:
- The evolution of the sisters’ relationship unfolds with realistic hesitation and setbacks rather than rushing toward reconciliation
- The exploration of privilege through Vivian’s gradual recognition of her advantages and Lucy’s complex feelings about wealth inequity
- Celeste’s character development from seemingly cold and pretentious to vulnerable and willing to face her past mistakes
- The authentic portrayal of grief in its messy, non-linear progression with flashes of dark humor
- The thoughtful examination of forgiveness without resorting to saccharine resolution
The scene where the sisters discover their father’s undelivered letters written over decades is particularly powerful, revealing his conflicted feelings while underscoring how his failure to act on them shaped all their lives.
Room for Improvement
While “Maine Characters” is undoubtedly Hannah Orenstein’s most accomplished work to date, a few aspects could have been stronger:
The relationship between Vivian and local bartender Caleb sometimes feels underdeveloped compared to the book’s central relationships. Their chemistry is evident, but their connection occasionally seems to serve plot convenience rather than emerging organically.
Additionally, some of the secondary conflicts resolve a bit too neatly in the final chapters. The revelation of Hank’s trust funds for all three women, while satisfying, risks undercutting the meaningful compromises the sisters had begun making around the house’s future.
The pacing occasionally falters in the middle sections, with certain conversations between the sisters covering similar emotional territory multiple times. These moments, while realistic, can feel repetitive before the plot regains momentum.
Comparisons and Context
Readers who enjoy Elin Hilderbrand’s Nantucket-set family dramas or Emily Henry’s emotionally intelligent romantic elements will find much to appreciate here. Unlike Hannah Orenstein’s earlier novels, which leaned more heavily on romantic storylines, “Maine Characters” places sisterhood and family reconciliation at its heart.
The book also stands apart from Orenstein’s previous works—”Playing with Matches,” “Love at First Like,” “Head Over Heels,” and “Meant to Be Mine”—in its deeper emotional resonance and more ambitious thematic scope. While retaining the engaging prose style that made her earlier novels successful, “Maine Characters” tackles weightier issues of inheritance (both emotional and literal), forgiveness, and the courage required to build something new from painful pasts.
Final Thoughts: A Summer Read with Lasting Impact
“Maine Characters” by Hannah Orenstein succeeds as both an absorbing beach read and a thoughtful examination of family dynamics. Orenstein skillfully balances humor with heartache, creating a narrative that entertains while prompting reflection on our own family bonds.
The novel poses powerful questions: How do we forgive those who’ve hurt us? What do we owe to family members we never asked for? Can understanding someone’s motives help heal the wounds they’ve inflicted? There are no easy answers, and Orenstein doesn’t pretend to offer them—instead, she gives us characters wrestling with these questions in ways that feel authentic and ultimately hopeful.
By the time Vivian and Lucy scatter their father’s ashes into the lake that binds them together, readers will likely find themselves emotionally invested in their hard-won connection. Like the perfect sunset over Fox Hill Lake—“peach streaks of light will soon turn to fiery orange embers”—the novel lingers in the mind long after the final page.
Verdict
“Maine Characters” represents Hannah Orenstein at her most mature and engaging as a novelist. Despite minor flaws, this nuanced exploration of sisterhood deserves a place in your summer reading stack—preferably enjoyed lakeside, with a glass of wine in hand.
The novel reminds us that families can be both broken and healing simultaneously. As Vivian reflects near the end: “People are complicated.” And it’s in that complication—that messy, frustrating humanity—that Orenstein finds the true heart of her story.
Perfect for Readers Who:
- Enjoy family dramas with complex female relationships
- Appreciate vivid settings that function almost as characters
- Are drawn to stories of reconciliation and second chances
- Like their beach reads with emotional depth and authenticity
- Have complicated family relationships of their own
Hannah Orenstein has delivered her most accomplished novel to date—a testament to how love and forgiveness, like the clear waters of Fox Hill Lake, can run deep even after years of distance and deception.
