# That Old Cape Magic

By Richard Russo

Profile: https://hahafiction.com/books/that-old-cape-magic-62da66cb/

Jack Griffin is on his way to a wedding on Cape Cod with his father’s ashes in the trunk. He used to spend summers on the Cape with his parents and later honeymooned there with his wife, Joy. Now the trip gives him time to think about their marriage and how much of his parents’ lives he’s managed to repeat.

## What makes it funny?

Griffin pulls over to talk to his mother, only to have a seagull poop on him at the end of the call. He can’t even get through the drive with the dignity he might have hoped for when he put the urn in the car.

### The comedy at work

Griffin used to write screenplays, and Russo sometimes shifts into screenplay dialogue. At the weddings, he also gets to show just how badly a carefully planned occasion can go once the whole family is in the room.

### Try this if…

Pick this for the rueful kind of family comedy, where a wedding can bring out old grievances and still make room for an outright sight gag. Griffin spends as much time taking stock of his marriage as he does trying to get through the festivities.

## What to expect

- Genre: Contemporary
- On the shelf: Family comedy
- Kind of humor: Situational comedy
- Audience: Adult
- Format: Novel

## Sources & further reading

- Publisher: [Penguin Random House: book description and author Q&A](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/159158/that-old-cape-magic-by-richard-russo)
- Review: [The Guardian: book review](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/sep/19/old-cape-magic-richard-russo)