People died in Bremen MN, the summer of 1961. Frank Drum was 13. The first death was little Bobby Cole, a “simple” boy who played on the railroad tracks and was hit by a train. Forty years later, Frank reflects on that summer that changed his family forever. Each member “coming of age.” Frank’s dad is a minister, in charge of three churches, each needing a Sunday morning sermon. His Mom, a gifted musician, is in her home town, something a minister’s wife can’t count on, but she never planned to be the minister’s wife. She was to be a lawyer’s wife and then, after he finished law school, he had to serve in WWII. After they were married. After they had their daughter, Ariel. Ariel, also a gifted musician, has a scholarship to Julliard. And little Jake, the youngest, the boy with the terrible stutter, is wise beyond his years, maybe because he listens more than talks.
Nearby, a family friend and his sister live. He’s blind from the war but once he was a famous up and coming composer in Hollywood. She’s so difficult, the family is delighted to park the two together in their own place where they function well. And on and on we can go with the amazing characters, with Rev. Drum’s alcoholic wartime buddy living in a room in the church basement, highschool kids with secrets to keep, bigots, bullies, domestic abusers, an old indigenous man who is an ex-con, the members of the church, the druggist. It’s like watching a Jimmy Stewart movie but full of devastation.
Each person is drawn with heart and compassion and the story is about who they are, how their lives intersect and how their lives are impacted by that summer. Anyone who has read Kruegers Cork O’Connor mystery series knows that he writes his settings so alive and real that you can walk to the railroad bridge over the river from the Drum’s home. You can hear the choirs, led by Frank’s mother, doing their best to great effect in three churches and at the performance of a piece Ariel writes. You can picture the quarry where a disturbing confrontation stays with Frank forever. And smell the liquor on the friend in the church basement. You can hear the confessions of people in pain, coming to Rev. Church for counseling but sometimes heard by people who should not hear. And, even though a terrible sadness envelops the town, there is hope, reconciliation, moving forward as we all must do to endure the hardest parts of life.
This is a painful read, but an amazing read. What makes it bearable is the people. and the varioius ways they are survivors. I read the audio book (I know. Doing that a lot lately). The narration was over the top wonderful! by Rich Orlow.
They Called me Bookworm 