Driftless

July Montgomery has found a home. In Mr. Rhodes' previous book, "Rock Island Line," the story ends with July leaving for parts unknown. In this book he gives a short history of July between then and now. Mr. Rhodes is quite the writer. His stories are pretty good, with only a hint of philosophy, but a lot of life. July ends up in Wisconsin, owning and running a farm (which for a penniless, literally, guy to do is really something else, but the farm was rundown and no good when he stepped into the scene) in the middle of nowhere, halfway to there, but not quite here either. He has become a part of the community of Words. The people of the town are wonderful, kind and caring. The story is generally about what is happening to various folks in and around the town and a bit of their history, so you have an idea of where they are coming from. The preacher lady has a good background and is truly loving and caring, but a bit lonesome. The fix-it guy is widowed and does all the odd jobs around the town. The musician lady inherited the house in town, her brother and his family got the family farm. She is sort of strange, but comfortable in who she is and how she lives. Her brother and his wife are raising two good grade school children but get to wrangling with a big coop corporation over how the coop is running the business. The old retired farmer guy has to get his house in shape for his in-laws visit. He has to hire some Amish to help him and they do, as he helps them, as well. He also gets sentimental and and find a niece he did not know of in town. The cripple and her caretaker sister are getting by. The cripple has the best part of this whole story: she goes on a theodyssey. There are others and more simpler stories scattered throughout, but all in all, this is a story of the town and some of its people through a year. The best part is in the dead of winter, "Its too cold to snow!" boy, does that ring a bell!! Being from the area of this book's setting, I can feel very comfortable knowing all that happens could truly happen, it is familiar.

This book is a gem. Lyrical, poetic, each chapter beautifully executed, each feeling like a self-contained short story in its own right. Rhodes is talented enough to make us care about -- and be interested in -- several characters at the same time. The characters inhabit a small town in Wisconsin. There is, arguably, one main character, July, who, in his own quiet and subtle manner, affects the lives of so many of the other inhabitants of the town. Rhodes' characters surprise us throughout the book. We make assumptions about them and realize how wrong we were. That quality, in and of itself, is what makes these characters so realistic. Rhodes beautifully reminds us of the trap we often fall in when we make incorrect assumptions about the people around us. Rhodes brings to life his fictional town as effectively as Steinbeck brought to life the communities of northern California.

As the short chapters progress in Driftless, the characters, at first seemingly moving through life unconnected to each other, come closer and closer to each other: intricate stories involve a full range of personalities who can perhaps even be found in our own communities. Predictably complex and certainly not your typical "everything ends up okay" story, David has done a great job of covering the political, social, and religious landscape with his cast of characters. In some ways David is representing his own life through this huge variety of characters: you have the music, you have the populism, the religion, the rebellion against authority, and you have the wheelchair. He needed this huge cast of characters in Driftless to tell the story of his community and his own place in it. Driftless is an excellent read. For another shorter piece by David Rhodes read his December 25, 2008 "Wearing Feathers" in the New York Times opinion section.

I originally ordered this book after reading a Wall Street Journal article about it in September. After I had read page 22 of Driftless several times (and had already reread several other pages), not because I couldn't follow it but because I liked what it was saying and how it was saying it, I decided two things: this book would make a good present for all the readers on my Christmas list and it was going to take me a long time to read it! So I ordered extra copies and kept reading. Most good books I want to read quickly to find out what happens but this book is so good that I am reading it very slowly, for the same reason we eat great food very slowly, to make the enjoyment last! This book really draws you into the interconnected lives of people of small town America. I moved from a small city to a large metropolitan area last year and was recently trying to explain to someone why I was still missing my former home. The central reason is because I felt safe and nurtured there. Not physically safe from crime but safe because of my emotional attachment to people. Everywhere I went I saw people I knew. When you drive to the grocery store in a small town people wave at you and you wave at them. I liked feeling connected to the human beings around me. I knew about their lives and they knew about mine and we cared about each other. Sure not everyone likes each other but you still feel for them and they for you because you know the good, bad and the ugly about each others lives. You know you have value in a small community and that's what you see in Driftless.

In the small town of Words, Wisconsin, we find a group of people with complex and intertwined lives. July Montgomery is a drifter that arrived 20 years ago and has made a place for himself among the townsfolk. Violet and Ophelia are two sisters who need each other. One cannot walk, and the other needs to be needed. Grahm and Cora Shotwell are fighting Corporate America after uncovering a milk scandal. Gloria Shotwell is chasing her dream of being a musician. Jacob Helm grieves over his dead wife. Rusty and Maxine Smith need to learn a hard lesson in tolerance. Winnie Smith, the pastor, has an unearthly experience. All of the townspeople are haunted by their pasts in one way or another. When I first picked up this book, I was struck by the beauty of it. On the dust jacket we can see the town of Words, and after reading the book and looking at the front again, you can see what each of the characters sees in the town. It's a safe haven, an alternate universe, a work place, a prison. I found myself investing a lot of emotion into this book. Once again I was trapped inside the pages and felt angry at the end when I was forced out. You become so close to the characters that they feel not only like family, but lifelong friends as well. You can touch each person's soul and know exactly where their hearts is and what thoughts fill their heads. You want to help them, scold them, hug them, and comfort them. I was filled with every emotion while reading this book-ranging from joy to grief. I believe it has made me a better person. I'm looking at life differently, more open-minded and compassionate. David Rhodes also wrote The Last Fair Deal Going Down, The Easter House, and Rock Island Line in the mid-seventies. I'm thankful he has reentered into the writing world. Hopefully the publication of this book signifies that there will be more in the future. Armchair Interviews agrees.