This is both a literary fiction book and a mystery that unfolds as Lydia, a self-contained clerk in a bookstore in a so-so relationship with a handsome, controlling boyfriend, tries to make sense of the suicide of one of the regulars at the store. Like Lydia, Joey had secrets and trauma and his suicide in a bookstore made the papers with a photo showing Lydia. We run through dual timelines as some of these people return to her life. Lydia relives her childhood, her friend Raj whose parents own the Gas and Donuts bookstore, her single father who was a librarian, Carol O’Toole, who becomes friends with Raj and Lydia and a cop who investigated the terrible crime Lydia witnessed as a child.
This is an amazing and complex plot with interconnected people and it is a story of family and trauma and its impact on both children and adults. Yet, it is not just a “downer!” It is full of lovely relationships, forgiveness, closure and hope here and there. All arising from a suicide, yet part of Joey’s bequest to Lydia as she and some of her friends come to make sense of things and find meaning where there was only despair. If you are looking for a quick read mystery, this is not it. But for those who like amazing writing, can follow a complex plot and come out satisfied. This is for you! Highly recommend. I also enjoyed the narrator, Madeleine Maby, which is a must for me when reading a book on audio.
They Called me Bookworm 