Chances Are, by Richard Russo, is one of those great summer reads for Boomers: set on an island, with reminiscences galore, back to the late 60s-early 70s, with references to Vietnam, college adventures and relationships, and then the counterpoint of the kind of wistfulness that people in their mid-sixties get when they look back at their younger, less cynical selves.

Back in their college days, there were the Four Musketeers: three very different guys and Jacy, the girl they all loved in their own ways. They spend a last Memorial Day weekend on Martha’s Vineyard prior to scattering to their various new lives right after college graduation…and then Jacy disappears. The story is set as the three guys gather for a kind of reunion, back on the island, and their various lives are contrasted as they look back and examine their current situations.

The characters of the three guys are EXTREMELY well drawn, and the mystery surrounding Jacy’s disappearance is intriguing as the story unfolds. I didn’t guess the resolution, but that’s no big deal, because I pretty much NEVER see “it” coming (whatever “it” happens to be!)

Loved the setting, loved the characters, loved the story. Five stars.