Dear
Great Book Guru, While I love all seasons of the year in Sea Cliff, Fall is a
particularly beautiful, event-filled time. The Halloween parade, the Cider
Social, the Progressive Dinner…all favorites of mine! Of course, I would like a
good book to read while watching each of these events unfold. Any suggestions? Falling for Fall
Dear
Falling for Fall, Last week I read a wonderful, very unusual book, FIRE EXIT by
Morgan Talty. Blood lineage plays a
major role in this novel. Charles is a middle-aged man whose mother was white
and married to a Penobscot. According to an 1980 law passed in Maine, Charles was
forced to leave the reservation when he turned eighteen because he was not a
“pure blood” Penobscot. His Penobscot stepfather Frederick helps find him a
home across the river from the reservation, but the added “blood” tragedy is Charles
has a daughter Elizabeth with a Penobscot young woman Mary. So that Mary and she will continue to live on
the reservation, Charles allows her to be raised by Mary’s new Penobscot
husband. Tortured by his love for Mary
and Elizabeth, Charles turns to alcohol and battles this addiction for
twenty-two years - all the time living across the river from them. When
Elizabeth shows signs of depression – an affliction his mother has battled for
years, Charles desperately wants to reveal his paternity. The story line focuses on community ties
versus blood ties as Charles tries to reconcile his needs against those of his
daughter. A riveting tale that presents characters trying to do the right thing
in a complicated world bound by culture and yes…blood! Recommended!