The Top of the World

 

The Top of the World by Ethan Joella
6/29/26; 272 pages
Scribner 

The Top of the World by Ethan Joella is an exceptional, very highly recommended literary family drama and coming-of-age story that is both heartbreaking and heartwarming. This is one of the best novels of the year and should not be missed. The bulk of the story takes place over the summers of 1974 and 1975 at The Red Maple Inn, a resort in the Poconos, and in a dual narrative follows two siblings, Chip and Maggie Bishop.

In 1974 Chip Bishop has just graduated from high school and is also undergoing treatment for leukemia. Rather than staying in town, where everyone knows he is dying, he leaves without a word to his family and starts working at The Red Maple Inn for the summer. There Chip can lead a relatively normal life for a time, returning home when he knows the end is near. Chip has arranged with his doctor to get transfusions at the local hospital. When he returned home after his summer adventure, he never tells his family where he went.

In 1975, Maggie Bishop has been grieving along with her parents ever since her brother Chip died. He never told anyone where he went last summer, but Maggie finds his name tag for The Red Maple Inn. She decided to follow in his footsteps, taking off for the inn without telling her parents where she is going. Once there she is welcomed by the employees when they learn she is Chip's sister. While working, she also tries to find people who knew Chip and can tell her about his last summer there while she is also making connections of her own. 

The writing is excellent in this character-driven, emotional story as the narrative flips between the point-of-view of Chip in 1974 and Maggie in 1975, with some chapters from earlier times/memories in their lives. One sibling knows he is dying while another is on the cusp of her adult life. Both are grieving a loss. The narrative captures the close relationship between the siblings. Expect emotions to run high during some scenes. The time period is depicted realistically and factually. The story of The Velveteen Rabbit plays a role in the novel, along with The Catcher in the Rye. 

All the characters are wonderfully depicted as fully realized, emotionally complex individuals, with even minor characters resembling real people. The siblings both have rich interior lives, with Chip's perhaps more complex, but as he knows he is facing death this seems understandable. The grief, which is at the forefront of the plot for multiple characters, is handled well, with compassion, insight, and grace. Maggie begins to experience healing while dealing with her loss. Anyone who has experienced a loss of a sibling or loved one will appreciate the way the experience is handled in the plot.

The Top of the World is a perfect novel for those who enjoy literary character-driven, emotionally complex family dramas and coming-of age stories. Thanks to Scribner for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.