These Summer Storms Summary, Characters and Themes
These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean is a complex and emotionally charged novel that explores the tumultuous dynamics of the Storm family, whose patriarch, Franklin Storm, has recently passed away. The book takes readers on a journey of self-discovery, family conflict, and the hidden legacies left behind by an influential but controlling father.
At the center of the story is Alice Storm, who must confront her fractured relationships with her family, her father’s manipulation, and the weight of his inheritance that continues to shape their lives long after his death. As the family gathers on Storm Island for the reading of Franklin’s will, old wounds are reopened, secrets are revealed, and Alice must navigate the expectations placed on her while trying to break free from the past.
Summary
Alice Storm has spent much of her life moving from one place to another. Whether on a bike, a boat, a helicopter, or even recovering from a skateboard accident, transportation has been a constant in her existence.
But trains hold a different meaning for her—they represent a personal and private mode of travel. On one particular Wednesday night, Alice boards the Northeast Regional train, seeking a few moments of peace before returning to her family in the wake of her father, Franklin Storm’s, death.
As Alice settles into her seat, the train fills with passengers heading for the New England Labor Day weekend. Among them is a tall, stern man who sits next to her.
His phone screen flashes a news headline about her father’s death, reminding Alice that she is about to face the media frenzy surrounding Franklin’s passing. Her phone buzzes with messages, all reminders of her father’s legacy as a groundbreaking figure in technology.
Though Alice considers reading the news articles, she resists, unwilling to dive into the whirlwind of attention. The weight of her father’s death hangs heavily in the air as the train moves further into New England.
The man sitting next to Alice strikes up a conversation, and despite her efforts to distance herself, their brief exchange unexpectedly offers her some warmth. When the train reaches Wickford, Alice prepares herself to face her estranged family.
But the chaos of her father’s death, amplified by the media, is already beginning to take its toll.
Upon disembarking, Alice encounters the man again, leading to an awkward but somewhat comforting moment. As she waits for her ride, she is reminded of the complicated dynamics within her family, and although she feels a connection with the stranger, she doesn’t want to let it grow further.
She finally leaves for Storm Island, the family estate, reflecting on her five years of estrangement from her relatives.
Arriving at Storm Manor, Alice is greeted by her cold and distant mother, Elisabeth. The tension between them is palpable as Elisabeth criticizes Alice for arriving by train instead of the expected helicopter, a subtle reminder of the class and expectations that have always haunted Alice.
Her siblings—Sam, Greta, and others—are also present, each displaying their own brand of dysfunction. The family reunion is anything but warm, with every interaction reminding Alice of the strain that has defined her relationships with them.
The family has planned a memorial for Franklin on Monday, but the Storm family’s version of grief is far from traditional. It is more of a public spectacle than a private moment of mourning.
Alice finds herself trapped between her desire to avoid the spotlight and the pressure to play her part in the family’s drama. The sudden appearance of Jack, the man she briefly met on the train, only adds to the confusion.
His presence at the island forces Alice to confront her feelings about her father’s legacy, her family’s expectations, and her role in it all.
It soon becomes clear that Jack’s involvement in the family’s affairs is more than coincidental. He is there to deliver the terms of Franklin’s inheritance, and the family must complete certain tasks to unlock their share of the wealth.
Jack’s calm and direct delivery of Franklin’s terms sparks tension among the Storm children, particularly Alice, who is excluded from the task list altogether. It seems that Franklin, even in death, has found a way to manipulate his family members, and Alice feels left out and betrayed.
Despite being excluded from the inheritance game, Alice is forced to stay on the island for the week, where the rest of the family must perform various tasks to claim their inheritance. Some of these tasks seem trivial, and others are cruel, designed to test the loyalty of each family member.
Alice’s brother Sam is frustrated by his task, while their sister Greta faces a particularly harsh one—she must end her secret relationship with a staff member to claim her share. Alice tries to distance herself from the family’s game, but she realizes that her father’s control still looms large, even after his death.
As the week progresses, Alice struggles with feelings of alienation, confusion, and betrayal. She reflects on her strained relationship with her father, who never approved of her artistic aspirations and used his wealth to control his children.
Greta’s task to sever her relationship with Tony forces her to confront the delicate balance between family loyalty and personal happiness. Meanwhile, Alice grows increasingly disillusioned by the family’s power struggles and manipulations.
Jack, who remains an enigma, continues to exert influence over the family, especially Alice. Despite her initial desire to resist him, she finds herself drawn to his calm presence.
However, the more she learns about his involvement with her father, the more conflicted she becomes. Alice begins to question her role in the inheritance game and whether she has any real choice in the matter.
The family’s tensions reach a boiling point when Alice’s mother, Elisabeth, reveals her bitterness towards Franklin’s controlling nature. Elisabeth’s emotional distance, amplified by her use of a microdose, creates bizarre interactions between the siblings.
The family, already dealing with grief, must navigate the power struggles that have always defined their relationships.
In the midst of this chaos, Jack’s role in the inheritance game becomes more complicated. His attempts to maintain order within the family only add to Alice’s internal conflict.
She is torn between her desire to escape the manipulative control of her father and her complicated feelings for Jack. Despite her efforts to distance herself from him, Alice can’t deny the bond that has formed between them.
As the family’s celebration-turned-memorial unfolds, Alice realizes that her father’s death has left them without the structure and control he once provided. The inheritance game has exposed the cracks in the Storm family’s facade, forcing Alice to confront the truth about her relationships, her legacy, and her future.
With the storm still raging outside, Alice recognizes that the chaos of the past has the potential to shape her future, but it is up to her to decide whether she will allow it to continue to control her life.
Ultimately, Alice learns that she cannot escape the weight of her family’s expectations, but she does have the power to choose her path forward. As she leaves Storm Island, she sends a message to her siblings, symbolizing the start of a new chapter in their lives—one where they can rebuild their relationships, redefine their legacy, and move beyond the shadow of their father’s influence.
The storm that once represented destruction now symbolizes change and the possibility of a fresh start.
Characters
Alice Storm
Alice Storm is a complex character, caught between her past and the overwhelming expectations of her family. Throughout These Summer Storms, Alice’s internal struggles and sense of alienation are prominent.
Having lived a life of constant movement and distance from her family, Alice is deeply affected by her father Franklin’s death, especially considering their estranged relationship. She spends much of the book navigating the tension between her desire to break free from the family’s grasp and the persistent pull of their manipulative legacy.
Alice is intelligent and introspective, yet she struggles to connect with her family, particularly her cold and distant mother, Elisabeth. The weight of being Franklin’s daughter, especially in the face of media scrutiny, leaves Alice feeling trapped in a life she never chose.
As the family dynamic unfolds, Alice begins to see how deeply her father’s control has shaped her own life, forcing her to confront her unresolved feelings about her family and her place within it. Her bond with Jack, though initially fleeting, grows, and while she attempts to resist it, she ultimately realizes that escaping the past is far more complicated than she imagined.
Jack Dean
Jack Dean is a mysterious figure in These Summer Storms, whose role becomes increasingly pivotal as the story unfolds. Introduced as a man sent by Alice’s father to manage the inheritance terms, Jack is calm, pragmatic, and enigmatic, offering a stabilizing influence in the chaos of the Storm family.
However, his presence only serves to heighten Alice’s internal conflict, especially after their brief but intimate encounter on the train. Jack’s role as a “fixer” for the family makes him a figure of authority and tension.
He navigates the family dynamics with a sense of detachment, yet his interactions with Alice reveal layers of vulnerability. As Alice grapples with her feelings of betrayal and confusion regarding her father’s will, Jack becomes both a source of comfort and frustration.
His motivations are murky, and his connection to the Storm family reveals deeper complexities, especially when Alice uncovers the extent to which her father’s influence still looms over her life. Despite his calm demeanor, Jack is not immune to the emotional undercurrents that define the family’s relationships, and his involvement forces Alice to confront uncomfortable truths about her family’s power and manipulation.
Elisabeth Storm
Elisabeth Storm, Alice’s mother, is a cold and emotionally distant character whose complex relationship with her children reflects the dysfunction at the heart of the Storm family. In These Summer Storms, Elisabeth’s behavior is heavily influenced by the legacy of her husband, Franklin, whose controlling nature left her burdened with managing everything, often alone.
Elisabeth’s bitterness toward Franklin is evident, and it is clear that the marriage was one defined by manipulation and emotional neglect. Her detached, sometimes erratic behavior, including her microdosing, further isolates her from her children, particularly Alice, who feels the brunt of her mother’s indifference.
Elisabeth’s emotional detachment causes tension, especially in the aftermath of Franklin’s death, where her coldness only deepens the familial rifts. She is portrayed as a woman shaped by years of submission to her husband’s will, and her complicated feelings toward Franklin’s legacy cause friction with her children, who are all struggling with their own relationships with him.
Elisabeth’s role in the family is that of a passive participant in the emotional chaos, and her failure to provide the maternal support Alice desperately needs only exacerbates the fractured nature of their bond.
Sam Storm
Sam Storm is Alice’s brother, whose snarky and dismissive attitude toward the family’s expectations adds to the tension in These Summer Storms. Sam is eager to assume control over the family matters, though his authority is often undermined by the larger-than-life figures of their mother and father.
His relationship with his siblings, especially Alice, is fraught with rivalry, as Sam feels increasingly sidelined and ignored. The weight of Franklin’s death and the terms of his inheritance only exacerbate Sam’s sense of disillusionment, as he seeks power in a family where authority is constantly shifting.
He is depicted as someone who resents the roles imposed on him and, like the rest of the family, is caught in the cycle of trying to gain approval from a father who never fully accepted him. Despite his bravado, Sam’s actions reveal a deeper vulnerability and need for validation, which remains unfulfilled as the family dynamics continue to unfold.
His frustrated desire for control adds an element of chaos to the family interactions, particularly when his attempts to assert himself are met with resistance from his mother and siblings.
Greta Storm
Greta Storm, Alice’s older sister, is perhaps the most emotionally invested in maintaining a sense of order within the family. In These Summer Storms, Greta plays the role of mediator, often trying to manage the emotional landscape of the family, especially between her mother and her siblings.
Greta’s loyalty to her parents, particularly her father, has caused her to suppress her own desires and needs, making her one of the more tragic figures in the novel. As the book progresses, Greta’s struggle to balance her duty to her family with her personal desires becomes more apparent.
The revelation that her father has manipulated her relationships, including forcing her to choose between love and wealth, is a painful moment of realization for Greta. Her task in the inheritance game forces her to confront her own emotional desires, leading to a personal reckoning that leaves her questioning everything she’s been taught to value.
While Greta remains emotionally tethered to the family’s expectations, her growing frustration with the oppressive legacy of her father becomes a central part of her character arc.
Emily Storm
Emily Storm, the youngest of the siblings, provides a more pragmatic and grounded perspective in These Summer Storms. Although often overlooked in favor of the older, more dominant personalities in the family, Emily’s perspective is crucial to understanding the emotional undercurrents of the family dynamic.
Emily’s revelation about her biological father, Mike Haskins, acts as a catalyst for much of the emotional conflict within the family, as it exposes secrets that have long been buried. This bombshell shifts the dynamics within the Storm family, revealing Elisabeth’s complicity in keeping such a crucial truth hidden.
Emily, though quieter than her siblings, offers a glimpse into the family’s hidden vulnerabilities, and her candid admission creates a ripple effect that forces the others to confront uncomfortable truths about themselves and their parents. Her pragmatic nature becomes a counterbalance to the emotional chaos around her, and though she is less vocal, her presence is a reminder of the innocence that is lost amidst the familial power struggles.
Themes
Family Dysfunction and Legacy
In These Summer Storms, the complex and strained relationships within the Storm family serve as a central theme that explores the destructive influence of inherited expectations and unresolved emotional baggage. The death of Franklin Storm, the patriarch, exacerbates pre-existing tensions and forces the family to confront both their shared past and individual desires.
Alice, who has been estranged from her family for years, is suddenly thrust back into the family dynamic, forced to grapple with a legacy that she resents and struggles to escape. Her relationship with her mother, Elisabeth, is particularly strained, as Elisabeth remains emotionally distant and cold, treating Alice more as an outsider than a daughter.
The manipulative nature of Franklin’s control over his family—especially through his will—further emphasizes the theme of familial dysfunction. Alice’s siblings, each dealing with their own emotional turmoil, react in varying ways to the inheritance game their father set in motion, revealing their deep-seated resentment, compliance, or attempts at rebellion.
The game itself becomes a reflection of the Storm family’s fractured bonds, with each member struggling to secure their share of wealth while grappling with the power dynamics and emotional fallout of their father’s manipulations. The Storm family’s inability to authentically connect with one another, clouded by control, manipulation, and expectations, creates an environment where love and loyalty are overshadowed by the pursuit of wealth and power, leaving Alice to confront the painful realization that her family’s love was always conditioned on her compliance with their ideals and desires.
Grief and Emotional Strain
The theme of grief is portrayed in a complex and multifaceted manner throughout These Summer Storms, particularly in the way different family members handle the loss of Franklin. For Alice, grief is not just a reaction to her father’s death, but also the culmination of years of emotional neglect and distance from her family.
Her return to Storm Island forces her to confront the ghosts of her past and the emotional weight that her family’s actions have placed on her. For Elisabeth, grief is internalized and masked by coldness, as she has spent much of her life catering to Franklin’s desires and dealing with his emotional dominance.
Her detachment is compounded by the ongoing storm and her use of microdoses, which further distort her perceptions and interactions with her children. The grief of losing Franklin is, for many family members, overshadowed by their ongoing resentments and the emotional strain of dealing with each other.
This creates a volatile atmosphere where grief is neither acknowledged nor processed in healthy ways. The Storm children, particularly Alice, struggle with their feelings of abandonment and betrayal, as their father’s death forces them to reckon with their lack of emotional connection to one another and the painful truth that Franklin’s influence permeated every aspect of their lives, even after his death.
As the story progresses, Alice’s journey is about coming to terms with her grief—not just over her father’s passing, but over the fractured relationships with her family and the realization that healing might require letting go of the ties that have bound her to them for so long.
Power and Control
Power and control are recurring themes that dominate the dynamics within the Storm family in These Summer Storms. Franklin Storm’s wealth and influence were the primary tools through which he controlled his family, and his death only brings this power struggle to the forefront.
The inheritance game he created serves as a clear metaphor for his ongoing control, even after his passing. His manipulation of his children through the promise of wealth and status forces them into a position where they must either comply with his final wishes or risk losing everything.
For Alice, the absence of a task in her father’s will becomes a profound symbol of her exclusion from the family’s power structure. Franklin’s control over his family is highlighted by his ability to dictate not only their financial futures but also their emotional lives, leaving them to navigate his shadow even in his absence.
This theme of power and control extends beyond the will, manifesting in the relationships between the siblings and their interactions with one another. Jack, as an outsider, becomes a key figure in maintaining this structure, though his role as a “fixer” for the family introduces an added layer of tension and conflict, especially for Alice.
While Jack is seen as a stabilizing force, his role in the inheritance game and his connections to Franklin complicate Alice’s ability to trust him, further emphasizing the theme that power dynamics within the family cannot be easily unraveled. The family’s inability to break free from Franklin’s legacy and their own ingrained behaviors reveals how deeply control has shaped their lives, and how difficult it is to escape its influence.
Self-Identity and Autonomy
Throughout These Summer Storms, Alice’s journey is one of self-discovery and the pursuit of autonomy. From the outset, she is presented as someone who has struggled with her identity, particularly in relation to her family and her father’s expectations.
Growing up, she was constantly pressured to conform to her father’s vision of success, which was grounded in wealth, status, and control. Alice’s artistic ambitions, which were dismissed by Franklin, serve as a symbol of her desire to carve out her own identity outside of the Storm family’s rigid expectations.
Her return to Storm Island forces Alice to confront not only the complex dynamics of her family but also the question of whether she can break free from the legacy of control and manipulation that has shaped her. As she interacts with her family, Alice is faced with the realization that her self-worth has long been defined by her father’s approval, and that breaking away from that will require confronting her past and the emotional wounds it has left behind.
The presence of Jack, initially a stranger, becomes a catalyst for Alice’s exploration of her own desires and her capacity to connect with others on her terms. Despite her initial reluctance, Alice’s relationship with Jack forces her to reflect on the importance of trust, vulnerability, and the possibility of building a future that is not constrained by her family’s demands.
Ultimately, Alice’s struggle for autonomy becomes a key aspect of her growth, as she comes to understand that true freedom lies in letting go of the need for validation from her family and embracing her own identity.