As it is a book geared toward adults, Summer Sisters deals with a great number of sensitive issues, including premarital sex, divorce, infidelity, the issue of having children, and physical disabilities.

One of the biggest issues in the book is how Caitlin plays with issues of sex from an early age. She is beautiful, and she learns early that her beauty can serve as a taunting device with men. As she draws Victoria into her life, Victoria is introduced to the world of sexual relationships. They even taunt Caitlin's older brother and her older brother's friend, who are also spending the summers on Martha's Vineyard. The introduction of the notion of sexuality is a very complicated relationship, and throughout the women's friendship, it figures largely into the ways that their relationship collides and coalesces.

Caitlin's parents are divorced, and during the course of the story, Caitlin...