Both girls had yet to jump off the Jaws Bridge, the one famous for being in the movie. As some of you know, it’s a rite of passage for all the island kids and vacationers. Both girls were scared to do it but would keep trying, thinking next time they would actually jump. The defendant made a bet with them that he’d give fifty dollars to whoever did it first. ––Dianne C. Braley, “The Summer Before”
Is there such a thing as a “Vineyard novel”? Or is every novel that is set on the Vineyard a Vineyard novel? Do visitors want to read about the Vineyard? What about year-rounders? What about the folks that have never been here? A novelist friend once told me that her agent said that books with “Martha’s Vineyard” in the title tend to sell well. In times like these, when corporations count as individuals and individuals promote themselves as brands, surely an island can be an influencer, and a literary influencer at that.
There’s a new crop of books that have recently been published or are soon to be published that are set on the Island. These include Martha Hall Kelly’s “The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club” (Penguin, May 27), Brooke Lea Foster’s “Our Last Vineyard Summer” (Gallery Books, July 1), Julia Spiro’s “Such a Good Mom” (Minotaur Books, April 29), T. Elizabeth Bell’s “Sheepish” (Pabodie Press, June), and I’ll throw in Dianne C. Braley’s novel “The Summer Before,” which was published in October, but will be new to summer visitors.
I asked Mathew Tombers, manager of Edgartown Books, if he thought the market for books set on the Island had been saturated, and his answer was “No, not at all.” He went on to explain, “I have an amazing number of customers who come in and ask for books set on the Vineyard, because they like to pick up books set in the place they are staying.” In fact, these books are so popular that Tombers shelves them at the checkout counter.
Is this built-in market a reason enough to set a novel on the Vineyard? I approached two writers of what could be called contemporary Vineyard novels to get their takes. T. Elizabeth Bell, whose third Vineyard novel will be published in June, put it beautifully. “I like writing about the Vineyard, because it’s a wonderful place to send your imagination.” Bell, her pen name, a seasonal resident who divides her time between West Tisbury and Washington, D.C., added, “I’d much rather set a scene on one of the beautiful beaches on Martha’s Vineyard or in one of the towns or restaurants than, you know, Washington, D.C.” Which made me think that the Vineyard isn’t just a hot spot for day-trippers and tourists, it’s also an exquisite destination for tourists of the imagination.
Dianne Braley, who lived on the Vineyard in her twenties and still spends much of the summer here, said that for her the Vineyard isn’t “just a backdrop; it’s a character.” She added, “I hope to offer those who’ve never been a chance to visit in their imaginations — and for those who know it, a shared bond in our love for a place so many of us have fallen for.”
In the spirit of the Vineyard as a setting, The MV Times and Islanders Write invite you to share your stories with us. Our writing prompt for this issue of our newsletter is Vineyard Love Story. Send us your 500-word essay. Tell us your truth or make up your story. We look forward to hearing from you.
This issue of The MV Times newsletter also includes a fabulous and funny essay looking on the difference between narrative perspectives by novelist Nicole Galland; our Vin-lit quiz; writing tips; and a couple of the essays that were sent to us.
Aly put the copy of the MV Times on the coffee table and smoothed the wool blanket across her lap. Headline stories about the Steamship Authority’s new ferry reservation system and the latest West Tisbury town hall meeting made for less than riveting reading. —From “Sheepish” by T. Elizabeth Bell
