But, we would hear stories of people from other share houses, or other weekenders, doing all sorts of weird things. We went into this experience wanting to treat the town with as much respect as possible. It was one of the conflicts that we felt all summer. I hesitate because I feel like I’m not particularly entitled to answer that because I am a visitor. How much do you think Montauk has changed since that summer you wrote about in your book, the summer of 2013? The landscape is really beautiful, the beaches are beautiful, fun nightlife. Both were just short weekend trips, and I really loved it out there. John Glynn: I’d gone out to Montauk once or twice before that: Once right after college and once for a friend’s birthday. Was that the first time you’d ever visited Montauk? Out East chronicles your very first summer spent in a Montauk share house. The iconic, and photogenic, Montauk Point Light, which also boasts an accompanying museum Oleg March

And, like any proper love affair, you’re in despair when it’s all over. But, how well do we ever really know the person we fall in love with? Out East is a testament to falling in love with love itself, with the frightening prospect of finally being accepted for exactly who you are.Īnd herein lies the magic of the book-despite knowing (likely from past experience) that that first crushing love might not work out, you desperately root for him anyway. You cash in when you know you should be cashing out. While the peculiarity of his experience is rendered in immaculate detail, the object of his affection is painted in broader strokes. Glynn deftly captures the anxiety of modern dating-hyper-analyzing the minutia of our digital age, from texts to Gchats to group emails, to navigating relationships that, increasingly, are hazily defined. It’s in this invigorating and chaotic environment-amidst the parties and the hangovers and the dreaded Sunday morning train rides home on the LIRR-that the author realizes, for the first time in his life, that he’s falling in love with a man.

Glynn’s tale of first love and self-discovery unfolds over the course of a single summer in a Montauk share house, the author’s first. For this insider’s guide to summer in Montauk, we consulted a veritable expert on the topic: John Glynn, debut author of Out East: Memoir of a Montauk Summer, released last month by Grand Central Publishing.

Out East by John Glynn