The Summer of Love

The Summer of Love is the story of a summer reunion between a wayward prodigal son who returns from Southern California to visit his parents in a small Midwestern town. After being disowned and avoiding contact with his parents for many years, he is reminded of the difference between the staid and steadfast faith of the Midwesterners—their capacity to take life’s hardships as they come without complaining and without losing their faith—and the hedonistic self-indulgence of the West Coast, where narcissism seems to be the ruling sentiment, personal responsibility is viewed as a nettlesome bother, and hurt feelings appear to be a virtue. The novel recalls the vaunted generation gap between the baby boomers and their parents during the Vietnam War era. 

I wrote this novel a long time ago, I think even before the turn of the century. It rings even truer to me now than it did then.