Introduction

2024 IPPY Awards Bronze Winner in Northeast Fiction
2024 National Indie Excellence Awards Winner in Regional Fiction: Northeast

“In painterly prose, [Keating] wraps a tale of intertwined relationships and the bonds of family and friendship into the landscape of Montauk....[Her novel] shows the human side of the complexities of preserving land and the prospect of coastal retreat.” —The East End Beacon

“An intelligent, psychologically astute, and beautifully written tale about the relationship of man and nature with not one predictable or cliched sentence or situation in sight.” —Baum on Books, NPR

“In vivid, memorable prose, Keating evokes the beauty and fragility of Montauk and its residents. The work speaks to the pressing issues of our time, especially the loss of wild places.” —Tucson Festival of Books

The Stark Beauty of Last Things is set in Montauk, the far reaches of the famed Hamptons, an area under looming threat from a warming climate and overdevelopment. Now outsider Clancy, a thirty-six-year-old claims adjuster scarred by his orphan childhood, has inherited an unexpected legacy: the power to decide the fate of Montauk’s last parcel of undeveloped land.

Everyone in town has a stake in the outcome, among them Julienne, an environmentalist and painter fighting to save the landscape that inspires her art; Theresa, a bartender whose trailer park home is jeopardized by coastal erosion; and Molly and Billy, who are struggling to hold onto their property against pressure to sell. When a forest fire breaks out, Clancy comes under suspicion for arson, complicating his efforts to navigate competing agendas for the best uses of the land and to find the healing and home he has always longed for.

Told from multiple points of view, The Stark Beauty of Last Things explores our connection to nature—and what we stand to lose when that connection is severed.

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Excerpt

CHAPTER 1: Clancy

Clancy Frederics thought he knew everything he needed to know about the Hamptons—mainly that it was not the kind of place that he belonged. But so far, everything was a bit different from what he expected. After two hours of highway sprawl there was suddenly a sharp bend in the road, an expanse of intense green, a small white church. The light was fading from the sky, bronzing a brick post office, glazing a glass-fronted penny candy shop. Pillows of clouds drifted high over a field and caught the reflected light. He passed vineyards and farm stands and swooped around a blue gem of a pond, where a swan dipped to kiss its reflection. After the 100-plus miles of 21st century ruin that was Long Island, this oasis seemed false, the world turned upside-down. ... view entire excerpt...

Discussion Questions

From the author:

1. Nature itself plays a big role in this novel. How did you see the forces of nature play out in the various storylines and in what happens with the characters?

2. In The Stark Beauty of Last Things, the main female characters—Julienne, Theresa, and Molly—are each trying to save their homes, whether the threat is environmental, economic, or both. To what extent did you feel sympathy for all three women?

3. How does the author use metaphor to describe the way Julienne and Clancy each view the other? What was the basis of Clancy’s attraction to Julienne? Did you expect Clancy and Julienne to have a romantic relationship?

4. Over the course of the novel, Clancy goes from intense dislike of Theresa to feeling sympathy for her. What do you think is the reason for his change of heart? Did you expect Clancy and Theresa to have a romantic relationship?

5. Are there places that are special to you in the way Montauk is special to the characters in The Stark Beauty of Last Things? What makes these places special?

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