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Small. almost imperceptible changes are rippling through the New England village of Grandville, altering it in ways its inhabitants cannot yet imagine. Laced through a narrative of one recent year in Grandville's history are stories that reach back to a 17th century family in Rotterdam, and 18th century migration by a farmer's lonely son in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and a 19th century underground railway journey by a gifted runaway slave. Each episode comes to bear on Grandville now.
In Grandville, Wendell DeVries, the 65-year-old projectionist at the local movie theater, meets an attractive divorcee and an unexpected love affair blooms; Franny, Wendell's daughter and leader of the town's drama group, is confronted by a newcomer from New York City who insists that her politically correct play be produced, sending Franny into a spiral of self-doubt; Lila, Franny's teenage daughter hears a lecture at her high school that convinces her she has African blood in her veins, leading her to discover long lost black relatives living nearby; the high school's guidance counselor, is contacted by a man claiming to be a recruiter from Harvard who dubiously persuades him that his daughter is a shoe-in for acceptance if he follows his advice, a false promise that enrages him; while thousands of miles away, in a mountain village in Columbia, a young man named Hector begins a journey that will lead him to Grandville where he will alter the lives of everyone he meets.
In Grandville, Wendell DeVries, the 65-year-old projectionist at the local movie theater, meets an attractive divorcee and an unexpected love affair blooms; Franny, Wendell's daughter and leader of the town's drama group, is confronted by a newcomer from New York City who insists that her politically correct play be produced, sending Franny into a spiral of self-doubt; Lila, Franny's teenage daughter hears a lecture at her high school that convinces her she has African blood in her veins, leading her to discover long lost black relatives living nearby; the high school's guidance counselor, is contacted by a man claiming to be a recruiter from Harvard who dubiously persuades him that his daughter is a shoe-in for acceptance if he follows his advice, a false promise that enrages him; while thousands of miles away, in a mountain village in Columbia, a young man named Hector begins a journey that will lead him to Grandville where he will alter the lives of everyone he meets.
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Reviews
"Set in the fictional, Richard Russo-like town of Grandville, MA, this sweet book is a satisfying read. Recommended."
Library Journal
"Everything about the novel, from its cast to its setting to its occasional use of allegory and metaphor, is just right. A definite change of pace for the author of various medical thrillers and mysteries (including the Elvis Presley mysteries), but a completely successful one."
Booklist