The details…
- Author: Ann McMan
- Title: Dead Letters from Paradise
- Publisher: Bywater Books
- Publication date: June 28, 2022
- Available formats: ebook, paperback, audiobook
- File size: 1810 KB
- Print length: 316 pages
- Genre: Southern Historical Fiction, Mystery, Lesbian Fiction
- Themes: romance, civil justice, civil unrest, racism
The blurb from the publisher…
Two-time Lambda Literary Award-winning author Ann McMan introduces readers to a spinster postal investigator for the Winston-Salem Dead Letter Office who finds herself enmeshed in the mystery of solving who is sending undeliverable love letters to the town’s 18th-century hortus medicus.
The year is 1960, and Gunsmoke is the most popular show on TV. Elvis Presley tops the Billboard charts, and a charismatic young senator named John F. Kennedy is running for president. And, in North Carolina, four young Black men sit down at a Woolworth’s lunch counter and demand service.
Enter Esther Jane (EJ) Cloud, a forty-something spinster who manages the Dead Letter Office at the Winston-Salem post office. EJ leads a quiet life in her Old Salem ancestral home and spends her free time volunteering in the town’s 18th-century medicinal garden.
One sunny Spring morning, EJ’s world is turned upside down when she is handed a stack of handwritten letters that have all been addressed to a nonexistent person at the garden. This simple act sets in motion a chain of events that will lead EJ on a life-altering quest to uncover the identity of the mysterious letter writer—and into a surprising, head-on confrontation with the harsh realities of the racial injustice that is as deeply rooted in the life of her community as the ancient herbs cultivated in the Moravian garden.
When EJ is forced to read the letters to look for clues about the anonymous sender, what she discovers are lyrical tales of a forbidden passion that threaten to unravel the simple contours of her unexamined life. EJ’s official quest soon morphs into a journey of self-discovery. Her surprising accomplice on this quest becomes a savvy, street smart ten-year-old wielding an eye patch and a limitless supply of aphorisms. Together, the unlikely duo makes pilgrimages to a tiny town called Paradise to try and crack the case—while ultimately learning better ways to navigate the changing world around them.
My thoughts…
Dead Letters from Paradise is a remarkable piece of fiction! McMan better clear off some shelf space for this one because it’s definitely going to earn her a few literary awards!
McMan’s new book has been described as a “historical queer southern cozy” novel, and the description couldn’t be more apt. The writing is just so comfortable and well-executed, one simply falls into the pages of this absorbing story and becomes consumed by it. It’s a thing of beauty when an author can achieve a well-balanced application of tone, pace and style in their storytelling, and McMan certainly has done that here. Her writing easily allows readers the ability to slip into the story world and become immersed in its characters’ lives. EJ, Lottie, Inez, Fay Marian, and Harrie immediately capture the readers’ imaginations and hearts. They represent a time and place that readers need to remember; their narratives are poignant and significant.
The story itself is a bit unconventional, yet that’s the brilliance of it. It uses the dead letters as a vehicle to tell a story about a town and its people during a time when color, sex and love were judged heavily and with severe consequence. However, at the center of it all remains the letters. They are shrouded in mystery and speak of a love that never had a chance. Together with the social conventions and constructs of the South, these letters work to drive the tension and emotion, something that plays masterfully across the page and gives the storytelling rich layers. In the end, the pieces fit together seamlessly, giving this story real meaning and significance. Mostly though, it works to leave the readers a little awed. This is one book that won’t soon slip from the mind.
Even though Dead Letters from Paradise is well-mapped and beautifully drawn out, it still remains character driven at its heart. The characters are exceptionally well-developed. Each one has weight and purpose, moving the story along in critical and meaningful ways. Furthermore, it’s evident that McMan took care in creating the people that would inhabit this story world. Her obvious affection for them bleeds into the readers’ appreciation and acceptance of them. It heightens the storytelling tenfold, making the reading experience even more special.
This story is told in first person from EJ’s point of point, and McMan does a wonderful job with her, but it’s Harriet “Harrie” Hart that really charms the readers. She captures the heart and endears herself in ways that few characters do. Her youthful wisdom and unstoppable energy make the story more. She’s charismatic, unflappable and optimistic, even when the world has been unkind to her. She softens the edges of the rough and ugly truths of life with her sunshine. Literarily, she’s a perfect character in so many ways, a guidepost almost for the storytelling. The following exchange between EJ and Fay Marian gets at the heart of who Harrie is and why she’s special.
“I am exceptionally fond of Harrie, as you know. But I don’t think she sees me [as a mother figure] at all. Our relationship is more . . .” I searched for the right words to describe it. “Equal. Harrie and I are [bonded] to one another as friends, I think. I have to force myself sometimes to think of her as a child.”
“She is pretty precocious,” Fay Marian agreed.
“It’s more than that. Harrie is advanced for her age, certainly. But what makes her unique is not so much what she knows—it’s what she understands.”
Harrie sees the world through eyes filled with compassion and understanding. She accepts the differences in people and makes an honest attempt to understand them. It seems to me that the world could sure stand a whole lot more Harriet Harts right now, that’s for darn sure.
Final remarks…
Ann McMan never ceases to amaze me. Her talent seems to know no bounds. She writes from a place that always seems to capture her readers interest and imagination. Her literary genius is matched by few in the LGBTQ writing community. She is a storyteller that I hope is never without a story to tell.
Strengths…
- Unforgettable characters
- Impressionable story
- Well-researched
- Well-constructed
- Meaningful and important
- Makes you laugh
- Makes you think
- A must read
A peek inside Dead Letters from Paradise…
“I got my allowance today.” Harrie showed me her two shiny quarters. “Can I . . . may I go with you and get some new comics at the drugstore?”
The kettle started to boil, and I fixed our two mugs of Postum. “I think we can do that. I might look for a new book to read while we’re there, too.”
“Neato.” Harrie watched me add milk and sugar to her beverage. “Maybe I can find a ball for Mr. Hauser’s dog? He doesn’t have any toys.”
“That’s a nice idea, Harrie.”
“I felt kinda sorry for him. I know what it’s like not to have anything good to play with. All I had in Reidsville was a busted wheelbarrow and some old croquet mallets. They don’t work as good when you had to use rocks instead of balls. After a while, the top parts got busted up and we got splinters. So, me’n Carla tried to set ’em on fire with kerosene and threw ’em on the train tracks to see if they’d burn up them wood ties. But we got caught and some old geezer chased us halfway back to her house. She kept tellin’ him to go to hell. We got lucky he was outta shape and we could run faster.”
Yes. Gardening was going to be a much better hobby for Harrie . . .
And one more glimpse…
“I think because preserving our connections to the past helps us remember where we came from.”
“I came from Reidsville. But I don’t think I need to plant busted car parts in the front yard here to help me remember that.”
Harrie had a point.
“That isn’t exactly what I meant. I was thinking more about remembering the good things we learned along the way. How our ancestors lived and worked to make better lives, and how we can learn from the things they got right and from the mistakes they made along the way. If we don’t remember, we run the risk of making the same mistakes all over again.”
Harrie seemed to get it. “I guess if Aunt Rochelle had remembered why she divorced that first deadbeat husband, she might not’ve married the second one. Is that what you meant?”
“Yes,” I answered. “That’s exactly what I meant.”
This book is available from..,
A bit about this author…
Ann McMan is the author of twelve novels and two short story collections. She is a two-time Lambda Literary Award recipient, a five-time Independent Publisher (IPPY) medalist, a Foreword Reviews INDIES medalist, and a laureate of the Alice B. Foundation for her outstanding body of work. She lives in Winston-Salem, NC.
Connect with this author…
Comments
Post a Comment