Available for Pre-Order This item will be available on June 12, 2012.
Overview
In 1948, a mysterious and charismatic man arrives in a small Virginia town carrying two suitcases—one contains his worldly possessions, the other is full of money. He soon inserts himself into the town’s daily life, taking a job in the local butcher shop and befriending the owner and his wife and their son. But the passion that develops between the man and the wife of the town’s wealthiest citizen sets in motion a series of events that not only upset the quiet town but threaten to destroy both him and the woman.
In 1948, a mysterious and charismatic man arrives in a small Virginia town carrying two suitcases—one contains his worldly possessions, the other is full of money. He soon inserts himself into the town’s daily life, taking a job in the local butcher shop and befriending the owner and his wife and their son. But the passion that develops between the man and the wife of the town’s wealthiest citizen sets in motion a series of events that not only upset the quiet town but threaten to destroy both him and the woman.
Goolrick’s tale of doomed love resonates like a folk ballad, with the language of the Blue Ridge Mountains and its people giving this novel its soul. Just after WWII, 39-year-old veteran Charlie Beale arrives in smalltown Brownsburg, Va., hoping for a brighter future. He offers his services to the local butcher, Will Haislett, and works his way into the good graces of Haislett’s family, especially five-year-old Sam. But even as Charlie finds acceptance, he remains apart in Brownsburg: he attends services in every church before finally finding redemption in an African-American Episcopal service; he buys up more land than he needs; and he makes a big mistake by falling for Sylvan Glass, the young wife of wealthy, old, vulgar Harrison Glass, who bought Sylvan at 17 “like a head of cattle.” Sylvan, an outsider like Charlie, dreams of Hollywood, while Charlie simply yearns for a place to call home. Goolrick (A Reliable Wife) tells their story from multiple perspectives, most poignantly that of Sam’s, a boy trying to make sense of the unfolding tragedy. Like any good ballad, the narrative builds slowly to its violent climax, packs an emotional punch, and then haunts readers with its quintessentially American refrain. Agent: Lynn Nesbit, Janklow & Nesbit Associates. (June 12)
Library Journal
Drifter Charlie Beale—toting a cash-stuffed suitcase and a set of premium butcher knives—moves to a small and notably crime-free Southern town. While the bloody writing is on the wall from the beginning, this novel is not a straightforward Southern gothic thriller but primarily a lyrical meditation on the magnified elements of small-town life: friendship, trust, land, lust, and sin. Sylvan, a beautiful hillbilly girl—literally purchased by the town's richest man—has transformed herself into a shimmering imitation of a Hollywood movie star. Her seemingly preordained adultery with Charlie is both condemned and envied by the town. The soul of the story, however, is Charlie's five-year-old companion, Sam, whose parents inexplicably allow him to accompany Charlie everywhere. As a witness sworn to secrecy, Sam is left tragically complicit in the adultery and its consequences. VERDICT Goolrick (A Reliable Wife) creates a timeless town where memory of an affair and crime can haunt forever. A lyrical yet suspenseful novel for general fiction readers. [See Prepub Alert, 1/21/12.]—John R. Cecil, Austin, TX
Product Details
ISBN-13: 9781565129238
Publisher: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill
Publication date: 6/12/2012
Pages: 304
Sales rank: 706
Product dimensions: 6.56 (w) x 9.31 (h) x 1.02 (d)
Meet the Author
Robert Goolrick
In addition to A Reliable Wife, Robert Goolrick is the author of the acclaimed memoir The End of the World as We Know It. He lives in a small Virginia town.
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Overview
In 1948, a mysterious and charismatic man arrives in a small Virginia town carrying two suitcases—one contains his worldly possessions, the other is full of money. He soon inserts himself into the town’s daily life, taking a job in the local butcher shop and befriending the owner and his wife and their son. But the passion that develops between the man and the wife of the town’s wealthiest citizen sets in motion a series of events that not only upset the quiet town but threaten to destroy both him and the woman.