Recommended through Alison Green's 2024 books. A slice-of-life novel about a three-generation family summer vacation in Cape Cod brings out all three meanings of the title (a convenient beach food, a Massachusetts coastal town, the middle-aged condition of simultaneously balancing the needs and autonomy of adult children and aging parents). It was interesting reading this as a person whose age is about halfway between the main character, a menopausal empty nest mom, and her new-adult children. I related to both of generations in some ways, and neither in others. A central emotion of this book is the desire for children - for more children, for one's children to be around more, etc. - which is quite alien to me. But there is still a universality in the way that grief, regret, and anxiety are woven in and amongst love, gratitude, and everyday delights. The characters are likeable, especially the idealistic and loving queer daughter Willa who reminds me of many Smithies I have known.