Fictional beach town in Michigan as setting for successful summer romance

By BILL CASTANIER

One of this summer’s most popular beach reads is “Funny Story” by Cincinnati-area romance author Emily Henry, who not only studied in Michigan but also set the book in a fictional Michigan beach town.

The book is about two lovers who split up and eventually swap partners. Daphne and Peter are about to get married when Peter invites his childhood friend, the glamorous Petra, to his bachelor party. The two decide they love each other and the wedding is called off for Daphne and Peter, but is scheduled for Petra and Peter.

Petra moves in with Peter and Daphne is embarrassed, so she and Petra’s ex-boyfriend Miles become roommates. After a few margaritas, Miles and Daphne play the game of lovestruck roommates, with a fictitious wedding on the cards to make their former partners jealous.

Add in some unusual parents, some crazy friends, and Miles’ couch-surfing sister, and you have a “Two Kings”-style comedy. Henry also brings the heat midway through the book – body heat, to be exact. Her former administrators at Hope College, a small Christian university in Holland, Michigan, would blush.

Daphne is a children’s librarian and Miles works at a winery. Petra and Peter, on the other hand, have rich, high-society appeal – you know, boat shoes and pink pants. As you might expect, Miles and Daphne find love, but Henry knows how to express the old adage “too thick doesn’t stick” in this delightful summer read.

Henry manages to make absurd actions like this seem believable. Friends I spoke to reported similar circumstances among couples they know.

Henry is different from most romance writers who bleed for publicity. She lives a reclusive life, never goes on book tours or makes TikTok videos. She just writes. In an age when musicians and authors share every aspect of their lives online, it’s a refreshing approach.

I asked for an interview with Henry, but after a few polite emails, her publisher declined. Since two of her books are set in beach towns on Lake Michigan, I wanted to ask her a few questions: Does she have a house on Lake Michigan? Does she spend the summer here? Does she wear boat shoes?

Elisabeth Egan of the New York Times Book Review recently published a profile of Henry and her writing, but did not include any personal details.

What we do know, however, is that she is a highly successful romance novelist who has topped the New York Times bestseller list for several years.

In the article, Egan writes of Henry’s anti-celebrity persona: “Emily Henry has never been on a book tour or done a traditional reading in a bookstore. She’s not on TikTok. On her Instagram, she shows book covers and the occasional giveaway; there are no closet tours, rescued cats, or elegantly presented snacks.”

Egan neglected to mention that a Google search is unlikely to turn up a biography of Henry. Her website has next to nothing, and a brief article on her alma mater’s website says she majored in English and graduated in 2012.

Nevertheless, her latest book has been on the New York Times bestseller list for ten weeks. According to Egan, an earlier novel, “Happy Place,” is to be adapted into a Netflix series.

From the article, Henry was previously a tech writer and wrote young adult novels on the side. Her first book for adults was hugely popular, despite being published during the COVID lockdowns. I guess it was the right time for a light romance novel.

In many ways, Henry’s homely attitude should make things easier for her publisher’s PR agents. Aside from a handful of interviews, they don’t have to deal with elaborate tours, Facebook updates or much else.

Henry could stroll into a Trader Joe’s and probably no one would recognize her. She looks a bit like Debbie Harry, but she didn’t go for the typical glam pose in her book cover photo. She has the charisma of Cormac McCarthy – he was a very anti-publicity guy. Of course, he didn’t write romance novels.