This One Summer

Content Warning: The Important Quotes mention miscarriage and suicide.

“My dad says Awago is a place where beer grows on trees and everyone can sleep in until eleven.”

When Rose and her family first arrive at Awago Beach for the summer, she foreshadows some of the coming events and general atmosphere of the setting when she references the amount of drinking and laziness that occurs there. Throughout This One Summer, it becomes clear that many of the adults and teenagers in Awago are experiencing a variety of issues, and Rose becomes disconcerted with the prospect of ending up like them. This quote also characterizes Rose’s father, Evan, whose jokes are a source of comfort for her.

“All the kids’ parents except mine were lesbians.”

When Rose and Windy reunite after spending the school year apart, they catch up on everything they’ve done. Windy describes going to a camp called Gaia Circle where she and others learn various types of dancing. She is comfortable telling Rose that most of the parents at the camp were lesbians, and this is the first implication that Windy herself may also be a lesbian. Although it is never confirmed, Windy hints throughout the novel that she is not interested in boys at all. This quote illustrates how Windy challenges The Socially Prescribed Obligations of Womanhood (which often demand that women be available for male convenience and pleasure).