"It was a small-town June wedding, and the bride was seventy-eight."
I love how the first line of this story is so succinct yet reveals what is to come. When Winnie Easton marries wealthy businessman Jerry in her small town of Hartfield and they purchase one of the town's largest homes, there is no shortage of opinions. The ripple effect includes their own family - Winnie's daughter, Jerry's daughter and grandson - whose reactions are all examined as Jerry's health begins to decline.
The multigenerational aspect first attracted me to this book, although I wrongly predicted how large a role the community has in the story. This is a tightly woven family drama that explores how certain members respond and adapt when the elders marry. It was a thoughtful look at how expectation and hope intermingles with love and complex family dynamics. I enjoyed the author's prose immensely particularly her ability to capture the small moments and movements that occur in daily living with a sparse elegance. Commuters was a solid first novel by Emily Gray Tedrowe and I look forward to reading more of her work.
If you are interested, Emily Gray Tedrowe will be discussing Commuters with Erica from Book Club Girl TONIGHT on Blog Talk Radio. at 7pm. I always benefit from hearing an author talk about their work and encourage you to tune in.
Thank you once again to TLC Book Tours for the review copy. More reviews of this book can be found here.
The End.
