Virgil Wander is a story that follows the inhabitants of a small Midwestern down-on-its-luck town in their quest to revive its flagging heart. I guess you could say that is a generous description and tells mostly the whole story.
I thought the description sounded great so I requested and was granted an Advanced reader copy. Virgil is released from the hospital after a car accident that left him with some memory loss and without the verbal ability to describe his thoughts. He feels separated from his life as if it belongs to someone else, going along reintroducing himself to the locals. Through the story we meet a wide cast of characters in Virgil's life including co-workers, friends, and various other townspeople he comes into contact with in Greenstone, Minnesota.
I guess I'm fairly new to the literary fiction genre and had a hard time getting into the story, not because it was bad but more it felt like it didn't progress. I think the characters were well written with diverse lives, hobbies, and drama. Even though the main character has a problem with words, the author does not and I could easily picture what was going on. What I liked the most was the sheer amount of bad luck this one location seems to have, and has possessed for quite a long time. The most exciting part of the story was the ending, and not just because I was finally done but because there was a little bit of action in the last couple of pages.
Do you like adult literary fiction? Do you like books about small town communities? Do you like slow plot lines? If so, you may like this book. If you answered maybe or no- pass on it.
I thought the description sounded great so I requested and was granted an Advanced reader copy. Virgil is released from the hospital after a car accident that left him with some memory loss and without the verbal ability to describe his thoughts. He feels separated from his life as if it belongs to someone else, going along reintroducing himself to the locals. Through the story we meet a wide cast of characters in Virgil's life including co-workers, friends, and various other townspeople he comes into contact with in Greenstone, Minnesota.
I guess I'm fairly new to the literary fiction genre and had a hard time getting into the story, not because it was bad but more it felt like it didn't progress. I think the characters were well written with diverse lives, hobbies, and drama. Even though the main character has a problem with words, the author does not and I could easily picture what was going on. What I liked the most was the sheer amount of bad luck this one location seems to have, and has possessed for quite a long time. The most exciting part of the story was the ending, and not just because I was finally done but because there was a little bit of action in the last couple of pages.
Do you like adult literary fiction? Do you like books about small town communities? Do you like slow plot lines? If so, you may like this book. If you answered maybe or no- pass on it.