Bakerton, Pennsylvania is the quintessential Appalachian coal mining town. Throughout the decades of the 20th century, the town, and her people, have undergone tremendous changes. This collection of short stories tells the stories of the townspeople throughout the years; many of the stories and the people are interconnected, in the way that people in small towns tend to be.
Everything about this book made me absolutely love it. First off, I adore reading stories about realistic and relatable characters, and the characters in this book feel like my very own neighbors. I particularly love that people and families show up in multiple stories, giving the reader a more robust picture of the characters and their family dynamics. There was not a single story in this book that was not fantastic, a rare trait with short story compendiums.
Secondly, I have a soft spot in my heart for the Western PA setting of these stories, due to living in Western PA myself. The small town I live in once had its booming heyday, also thanks to coal, and it has changed so much through the years, I can really relate to the setting of Bakerton; it feels like the world right outside my door. However, I suspect I could love anywhere and still relate to Bakerton, since the author paints such a vivid portrait.
The plots of the stories themselves are so human, so real, so heartbreaking in many cases. Yet even the melancholy stories are tinted with hope, something I adored about this book. Fans of short stories will appreciate the book, as well as fans of historical fiction.
I received a review copy courtesy of TLC Book Tours in exchange for my honest review. See the rest of the tour here. There will also be a podcast discussion on February 4th, 2013, which will then be archived, and you can listen here.
While he was in prison, Lester had a long distance pen pal relationship with a woman named Laurel. Upon his release from prison, Lester seeks out Laurel convinced she is the love of his life. Imagine his surprise when he finds the woman of his dreams is actually a closeted gay pastor. With this discovered, Lester is forced to evaluate what he truly wants out of life, and how he starts over now that he is on the outside. Starting over in a small town, and interacting with the people in town, changes the way Lester views the world.
Morphs are people who wear full body morph suits, often as a way to escape their problems, and feel comfortable being their true selves. A group of Morphs open a detective agency, specializing in cold cases, and their first case is as cold as they come. While investigating a potential haunted house, Fedora and her fellow Morphs stumble onto a missing Hollywood director, a possible serial killer, and maybe, just maybe, true love.
April Grace is back, and still dealing with the woes of a preteen girl. Her older sister is acting funny, her baby brother is the center of attention, and April has a sense that big changes are coming now that she is in junior high. And this biggest change of call comes calling in the form of a long lost family member!
Alexis has spent her entire lift feeling different from everyone else. She has odd dreams and can read her best friend's mind, only making her seem that much stranger. So when it is revealed that Alexis is not human, but is instead a fairy, things actually start to make sense. She learns that she has a very important destiny to accomplish in the land of Avalon; for all intents and purposes, her life is just now beginning.
Freezer cooking is an incredible way to save yourself time, and often money, by cooking large portions or multiple meals at once, and storing in your freezer for later use. Many people have misconceptions about freezer cooking, such as you must make 30 different meals to cook for a month, or you must have an extra freezer to store the extra food. In this concise volume, you learn truths, tips, and tricks to how freezer cooking can change life as you know it.
Owen and Mira have only been married for a few years, and are still trying to find the rhythm of daily married life. But any semblance of normality is disrupted when Wilton, an aging television actor, moves in next door. Mira immediately takes a shine to Wilton, spending lots of time with him, and accompanying them to a nearby casino. Wilton is trying to reunite with his adult daughter, and tries to enlist Owen's help, which only drives Owen and Mira further apart.
By some miracle, Chicago has been chosen as the site for the 1893 World's Fair. There is much work to be done, in very little time. In the midst of the creation of the site for the fair, H.H. Holmes finds his prey. Whether he is scamming people and businesses for money and goods, creating a murder hotel, or plotting the demise of yet another innocent, it can be guaranteed that Holmes is leaving a stain on the White City.
Max Vinyl seems to have it all, a successful business, financial stability, an entire fleet of hot cars, and an even hotter girlfriend. But Max made the mistake of finding that girlfriend from his employees. When she loses her job for trying to expose corruption in the business, she dumps Max, and proceeds to make his life hell. Add into this mix other bumbling employees who mess with the wrong veteran, and you have the makings of a nightmare for good old Max.
All Chester intended to do was avoid cleaning the hall bathroom. So when his mom asked him to run an errand, he jumped at the change. However, the errand, a simple trip to his uncle's house, turns into a wild adventure. Absolutely nothing is as it seems, humanity is at risk, and somehow, saltines, cookies, and soda may be the salvation of us all.
Bettina is the daughter of chocolate heiress Babs Ballentyne. Life with Babs is unconventional, to say the least. She is overtly sexual, and has sexually explicit conversations with her preteen daughter. She pushes the lines of decorum and good taste. She uses men as toys in the game of life. So why, then, is Babs so shocked when, as a teenager, Bettina ends up doing the same exact thing?
Although Rose is the daughter of a staff person at Somerton, she has always been treated like one of the daughters of Lord Westlake. She grew up with Ada and Georgianna, and is excited for their return to the estate. When they do return, she is given the position of the girls' ladies maid, and over time learns that there are many secrets at Somerton, everyone has secrets. Even Rose.
Marnie and her younger sister Nelly are hiding a huge secret: both of their parents are dead and buried in the garden. They attempt to maintain some semblance of a normal life, well, normal for them, to avoid getting picked up by social services. Soon Marnie will be old enough to be Nelly's legal guardian, so hopefully they can hold it together. Quickly, they attract the attention of their neighbor, Lennie, who decides to take the girls under his wing. Their lives become intertwined in the most amazing version of a family.
Wendy always knew her mother was not like most mothers, nor did Wendy and her sister Robin have a typical childhood. After their parents divorced, the girls lived with their mother, and had summer visits with their father. Mother flitted from man to man, some of the men trying to be nurturing the girls, but all of the men eventually leaving. In a sort of temper tantrum, their mother took the girls to London to live for several years, and then returned to the US to try to set up some semblance of a posh life. Throughout the years, their mother's behavior rides like a roller coaster, often going off the rails.
Still dealing with her mother's tragic death, Anna sets off on a road trip with her best friend, Kat. The girls follow their wanderlust, under the guidance of a book by Jack Kerouac, searching for life and proof of God's love. Along the way, Anna confronts her fears, her emotions, her relationship with her father, and her entire concept of love.
When Hafren is invaded, two youths, Shuh and Ufh, set off to warn the different people in different areas of the land. Along the way, the encounter various forms of evil, and learn how to overcome these evils. It is a journey, not only through their own land, but into themselves as well. Faith and friendship help get them succeed in their mission.
Eva Braun is in love with the most powerful man in Germany, and to Adolph, Germany comes first. Adolph will never love her as he loves Germany, and she accepts this. She pines for him in a way that is almost religious in nature, and succumbs to his every wish, no matter how perverse. For her loyalty, she is rewarded with a wedding, followed by her own death.
Jess never expected her life to be undergoing such major changes at her age. After many years playing the dutiful and supportive wife, she finds herself on her own upon the discovery of her husband's infidelity. She takes up residence with her daughter, who is away at college. Immediately Jess is tossed into the world of university life, graduate school, basketball, and, surprisingly, love.
Carrie is such a lonely child, she has invented a younger sister named Emma. For a while those around her indulged the fantasy, but now that Carrie and her mother have moved to a new town, Emma is a taboo topic. For Carrie, though, Emma seems so real, so she mourns the loss of her, silently and secretly. When Carrie meets Cricket, another girl who knows what it is like to lose a sister, the two bond instantly. Cricket and her mother Honor become a sort of substitute family for Carrie, and she becomes a substitute for their lost loved one as well. Together, they discover some shocking information about Carrie's family.
During the summer of her 13th year, Reggie's town is stalked by a serial killer dubbed Neptune. He kidnaps women, cuts off their right hand and delivers it to the police, then 5 days later, he kills them and leaves their body in public. As if this were not terrifying enough, it turns out his final victim is Reggie's mother, Vera. The only difference is Vera's body is never found. Twenty-five years later, Vera turns up alive, and Reggie is forced to deal with the life she fled so many years ago. When Reggie's childhood friend turns up missing, her hand sent to the police, it seems Neptune has returned also. Will Reggie be able to save her friend, her mother, and herself from their own private versions of hell?