A tragic accident threatens to unravel two families in this gripping novel of suspense and culture clash set in the Hamptons.
Corey Halpern, a local high schooler with a troubled home life, is desperate to leave the Hamptons and start anew somewhere else. His last summer before college, he settles for the escapism he finds in sneaking into neighboring mansions.
One night just before Memorial Day weekend, he breaks in to the wrong home at the wrong time: the Sheffield estate, where he and his mother, Gina, work. Under the cover of darkness, Leo Sheffield-a billionaire CEO, patriarch and the owner of the vast lakeside manor-arrives unexpectedly with a companion. After a shocking poolside accident, everything depends on Leo burying the truth before his family and friends arrive for the holiday weekend. Unfortunately for him, Corey saw what happened, as did other eyes in the shadows.
Secrecy, obsession and desperation dictate each character's path in this spectacular debut. In a race against time, each critical moment holds life in the balance as Corey, Gina and Leo approach a common breaking point. With an ending as explosive as the Memorial Day fireworks on the island, The East End welcomes a bright new voice in fiction.
"Allen has created a fascinating, kinetic, and insightful look at America's unspoken caste system of class, where great wealth and poverty both come with deep emotional roots. Characters bound by family, defined by place, and divided by great fortune converge in The East End with all the friction of envy and deep longing. I was constantly surprised by the psychological depth of each character and
Devin Murphy, National Bestselling author of The Boat Runner and Tiny Americans
