#Middlebury #BookClub #MiddleburyPublicLibrary
This October, experience two different sides of William Kent Krueger’s writing with the library’s book groups. One will discuss his book, “Ordinary Grace;” another will discuss his book, “Northwest Angle.”
The Brown Bag Book Group will discuss “Ordinary Grace” by William Kent Krueger Wednesday, Oct. 4, at 1 p.m. In a story set in New Bremen, Minn., in 1961, 13-year-old Frank Drum is having a summer in which death appears in different forms. Tragedy has made an unexpected call upon his family, and Frank finds himself in a world of lies, betrayal and adultery. The story is not so much about the murder of a young woman but about what the tragedy does to Frank, his family and the small town he lives in.
If you enjoyed “Ordinary Grace,” you many enjoy another coming-of-age novel titled “Whistling Past the Graveyard” by Susan Crandall. In this story set in 1963 Mississippi, Starla Claudelle is enjoying her summer like every other nine year old. Born to teenage parents, she is being raised by her strict paternal grandmother. It has been many years since she has seen her mother, but Starla is convinced her mother will make good on her promise to reunite with Starla and her father and live as a family in Nashville.
On the Fourth of July, Starla sneaks out of the house while being grounded and gets caught. Fearful her Mamie will send her to reform school, she panics and runs away. She accepts a ride from Eula, a black woman traveling with a white baby, in hopes of getting to Nashville. Her journey is long and sometimes dangerous as she learns the harsh realities of Southern segregation and letting go of long-held dreams.
The Mystery Book Group will meet Tuesday, Oct. 10, at 6 p.m. to discuss “Northwest Angle” by William Kent Krueger. In the 11th book in the Cork O’Connor series, Cork and his daughter, Jenny, get stranded on an island during vacation on Lake of the Woods. Trying to find shelter, the two stumble upon an old cabin where they discover the body of a tortured girl. They begin to hear strange sounds outside the house and discover an abandoned baby boy. Jenny is drawn to the motherless child and vows to protect him from all threats and dangers that seem to follow him. Father and daughter are pursued into the isolated Northwest Angle where they must solve the puzzle of the mysterious child.
If you enjoyed “Northwest Angle,” you might enjoy “In the Lake of the Woods” by Tim O’Brien, which takes place in the same area. When long-hidden secrets about the atrocities he committed in Vietnam come to light, a candidate for the U.S. Senate, John Wade, retreats with his wife to a lakeside cabin in northern Minnesota. Within days of their arrival, his wife mysteriously vanishes into the watery wilderness. The story follows John’s childhood, college years, and Vietnam experiences through flashbacks. While several hypotheses for the disappearance of Kathy Wade are made, the ultimate decision is left up to the reader.
