
In her 10th novel (after
Running the Bulls), Pelletier spends a week in
tiny Mattagash, Maine, examining the public lives and private despairs
of its residents. Mailman Orville Craft knows everyone in town but none
better than "cantankerous" Harry Plunkett. It's Harry's tacky mailbox
that gets under Orville's skin, so much so that he considers retirement.
Orville's trouble getting a good balance of life and work has strained
his marriage. Harry battles the harrowing memories he's carried since
Vietnam. Edna, Harry's adrift niece, longs for a more artistic life, and
is considering leaving her husband. And Billy Thunder is back in town, a
small-time drug dealer, handyman, and heir to a century-old curse. Only
occasionally precious, Pelletier expertly jumps about her large cast,
showing their external peculiarities and revealing their inner lives
piece by piece until their actions shift from strange to unavoidable.
Written in vignettes and character sketches, the story really only comes
together at the end, but Pelletier's fans and readers fond of quirky
smalltown tales will enjoy the ride.