Elysiana
by Chris Knopf
The Permanent Press, 2010, $28.00

The stories of a quirky cast of characters intertwine on an island off the coast of South Jersey in the summer of 1969. The Beach Patrol of Elysiana controls everything from the water to the pavement and the town cops rule the rest of the island setting the stage for an ultimate face-off. Hippies, surfers, tourists, a greedy council president and the mob make for a suspenseful, funny tale. I especially enjoyed the female characters including a headstrong seven-year-old named Sweetie. At first, there seem to be many unrelated stories but they eventually start to link together. Elysiana has a great sense of place that brings the Jersey Shore in '69 alive even for someone like me who never experienced it.