The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store James McBride (2023) In small-town Pennsylvania in 1936, two outcast groups of citizens, the Jews and the Blacks (“Negroes”) live on the edge of town and learn to support each other to achieve justice denied by the bigoted establishment. Numerous subplots swirl around the main story, which is about a deaf Black boy. The cast of characters is large, and the chapters sometimes have the feel of linked short stories featuring those characters. So the very structure of this novel reinforces its theme of community—of people banding together for the common good and for individual survival. Thanks to my friend Kathy Daly for suggesting this title for review on my blog!
Smoke and Mirrors Aaron Stander (2024) I’ve reviewed several of Stander’s previous novels (click here) in his series of mysteries set in the northwestern area of Michigan’s “mitten” peninsula. The plot in this twelfth one is satisfyingly intricate, and the editorial lapses of the early titles in the series have, thankfully, been cleaned up. The murders in Smoke and Mirrors take place over the Independence Day holiday weekend, on a gorgeous stretch of sand and dunes on Lake Michigan’s shoreline. As the local police untangle a web of crimes, they discover drug dealing and arson and generational poverty. Over the course of the series, I’ve especially liked following the life trajectory of the main sleuth, Sheriff Ray Elkins, who has had many personal setbacks. And, of course, the references to Michigan locales are a treat. You don’t need to read Stander’s mysteries in order, but you’ll appreciate a few more plot connections if you do.