Genre: Literary Historical Fiction

At the mercy of a long waiting list, I am late to the discussion of The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride. For me, the title was well worth the wait. The historical narrative defies easy summary. In 1972, a skeleton and a Jewish mezuzah necklace are found at the bottom of a well as the area is being prepared for a new building project. Hurricane Agnes erases all the evidence of the crime. McBride takes us back to the early 20s in Chicken Hill near Pottstown, PA to “solve” the mystery. We meet a huge cast of characters including - Moshe and Chona Ludlow who are Jewish, Nate who is black, Dodo, deaf and dumb and black and the town doctor who marches with the Ku Klux Klan. And so many more delightful (and less than delightful) people. Narrator Dominic Hoffman brings these characters to life.

The characters are my first love here. McBride is masterful in creating such a variety of folks with their own hardships, prejudices, loves, and hates. He manages such detail that I can picture them - laugh and cry with them. The relationship between Moshe and Chona from first love to comfortable marriage to grief and loss is beautifully rendered. I love a good “romance” novel, but the romance embedded here is real and touching and heartbreaking. Dodo and Monkeyboy’s friendship works much the same for me. To see those boys who have been overlooked and undervalued in such a horrible setting forge such a beautiful friendship left me in tears. We could all hope for such a gift. And, of course, a group of disparate people who don’t always like let alone understand each other to work together in the way that they did. Such an act demands hope from this reader. The plot and these relationships keep us grounded in the reality of hate, difference, and prejudice. The discussion of the lack of value of a Jewish woman’s life, the marching of the Klan, the treatment of the mentally ill and physically disabled and more left me breathless.

We have hope. We have the reality of our failings. Both…and…These kinds of difficult books leave me feeling a bit helpless which I think may be part of the intent. Simultaneously, they force me to face my failings in dealing with different kinds of people, with the hate and misunderstanding that still plagues our society which must certainly be a bigger part of the intent. This book is an important book - for me it hearkens to Geraldine Brooks’ most recent novel Horse. Again I am convicted that I must figure out and do my part to effect change. I have always believed that good fiction can contribute in a valuable way to a reader’s learning. I am always learning. James McBride’s Heaven and Earth Grocery Store has become part of that journey.