The news of another book by author James McBride made myself, and fans of his previous work, incredibly happy. The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store has come after 2020's Deacon King Kong, which was one of those books I could have read for forever. The premise of his latest book promised another look at a close-knit community, with a vast array of colorful and unforgettable characters.
The Situation: In 1972, a curious discovery is made while work is being done for a new development in the small town of Pottstown, Pennsylvania. Now, an investigation must be done to find out not only the identity of the human skeleton that was recovered, but how it got there. Over three decades earlier, a Jewish couple named Moshe and Chona Ludlow were well-known in the community of Chicken Hill. While Moshe ran a successful local theater, one of the few in the area that was open to African Americans, Chona ran the Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, which she inherited from her retired father. Moshe would prefer to lead a quiet existence, free of trouble, but his wife insists on calling out the injustices around them and helping those in need, including a local deaf boy needing a place to hide.
The Problem: When Nate, Moshe's loyal friend and coworker, brings up a 12 year-old boy in need of sanctuary, Chona offers no objections to helping, though her husband has plenty. With both of the boy's parents gone, and an accident leaving him both deaf and unable to speak, the state is insisting that he needs to be institutionalized. Everyone around him seems to understand that the local institution is the last place anyone would want to be, and it takes an entire community, Jews and African Americans working together, to help keep him safe. But not everyone in Chicken Hill believes that what Chona is doing is right, and the same forces that wish to capture the boy are the same ones that have long worked against the African Americans and European immigrants that call the area home.
Genre, Themes, History: This is a historical fiction novel that opens in 1972, but quickly goes back even further in time to the 1920s and 30s. The setting for a story that will follow many residents of Pottstown, Pennsylvania is the small close-knit community of Chicken Hill. At the front of the story, at least in the earlier chapters, are Moshe and Chona Ludlow, a well-known Jewish couple. As the story progresses, more of the seemingly side characters begin to take center stage, specifically Nate, who works with Moshe down at the theater. Then there is Beatrice, Dodo, Addie, Fatty, Big Soap, Doc Roberts, Paper...the list goes on, as do the colorful names. Every resident of Chicken Hill must deal with the deteriorating effects of bigotry and hypocrisy, sometimes from their white neighbors, and sometimes from those they thought they could trust.
My Verdict: I will say that this story went in a direction that I was not expecting, and it takes the reader places that are not only surprising, but often terrifying, sometimes delightful, but mostly anxiety-inducing. Every plan requires the participation of several unreliable people, and everything can easily go wrong and result in a yet another win for the villains of Chicken Hill. But such is life in a too-small town where everyone knows each others business, and this includes the white supremacists and crooked officials. One thing I learned from reading McBride's previous book is that he is a writer that can be trusted. The story may be intense, but the characters are endearing and diverse...and frustrating, but they are doing their best.
Favorite Moment: There is a moment when the Italian mother of one of the many side characters, Mrs. Carissimi, proceeds to scold her incredibly tall son, almost entirely in Italian, in front of his friends. She fears for his safety, and wants to be sure he is staying out of trouble. It is a scene full of back and forth between more than just the mother and her son, made more humorous by the size difference between the two, as well as the language barrier as the group has a hard time understanding her.
Favorite Character: There are many to choose from here. I adore Mrs. Carissimi and her decision to have it out with her son while out in public. And Paper, which is short for Newspaper (real name Patty Millison), may be a town gossip, but she is also helpful and essential.
Recommended Reading: Naturally, I recommend McBride's previous novel, Deacon King Kong, but I also want to recommend Neruda on the Park by Cleyvis Natera.
No comments:
Post a Comment