Bonnie Nadzam

3.5***

From the book jacket: A spell-binding story of a modern-day “living ghost town” on the brink of collapse, and a young couple faced with pursuing the promise of a new life elsewhere or – against all reason – staying where they are.

My reactions
Nadzam’s work reminds me of classic fables with tragic heroes, especially opening with a mysterious stranger and his little dog. Her characters are familiar and yet distant. I recognize some of their emotions and motivations: loyalty, inertia, longing, adventure, boredom, duty, wonder, love.

Gordon, in particular, struggles with the competing forces – an urge to leave this desolate, dying town for college and a bright future vs. a duty to honor tradition and continue his father’s (and grandfather’s) work. Leigh is similarly torn. She loves this boy, and yet she longs to go to a bigger, BETTER, place, to experience all that life offers rather than stay in this small town whose only claim to fame is the “ghost town” sign on the freeway exit.

I can always rely on my F2F book club friend to recommend interesting, “odd” books! Unfortunately, our meeting was postponed, and I had been hoping that our discussion would help clarify my thoughts.… (meer)

I first saw the film last year and found it to be one of the more unusual films I had ever seen. No famous actors, clearly a small quiet indie film. I liked it but it had my head and heart whirling around.

Now I've just finished the book today and my emotions and thoughts are all over the place, as the book is a bit more graphic than the film. I have feelings of revulsion, pity, disgust, shame, sadness, empathy, anger, etc all rolled up in one.

David is clearly a broken and troubled person who I do not believe for a second is evil or intended harm, but his sense of inappropriateness and behavior while not purely pedophilic, is clearly circling that drain, and the damage done to both him and Tommie remains to be seen.

A book that will anger you, but if you are tender hearted and an empath, will pull those strings as well.… (meer)

I know I'm in the minority on this one, but gotta tell it like I saw it. I made some notes on my thoughts during the first half....
Weird book. Writing that alternates between strange and an attempt at experimental or the unconventional. Meandering. No chapter breaks (maybe they'll come with the final edit). A proliferation of sentence fragments. At times, nonsensical.

This was an odd experience for me. Many of my friends gave it 5 stars, so what am I missing? I didn't find interesting the dying town of Lions, it's inhabitants, or the writing style.

The second half picked up a bit but still not enough to redeem it in my eyes. A thank you to NetGalley and the publisher. (… (meer)

What happens to us when we hang on to the past, no matter how forlorn it makes our current life? Bonnie Nadzam's book examines the perplexities faced by the inhabitants of a former thriving small town in Colorado. After it's beet factory closes, a few residents dig in their heals and remain. To keep the town alive, they call Lions a ghost town with the hope of attracting tourists.

The people are enigmatic, the writing so evocative that you will feel yourself sitting in the diner with the regulars. Although pensive and somber, the book kept my interest. Many loose ends left me wondering the fate of some characters I spent time trying to understand.

I thank Netgalley for the review copy and my friend, Diane S., for the book recommendation.… (meer)