Review of online novella

In a small Michigan town, four families live across the street from each other around one corner. In one house, Doctor Greg Myers and his wife, Aimee; in another, Sam and Cindy Lee with their housekeeper, Rosebaby and her eight-year-old son, Little Moses. Then there’s the local pastor, Winston Towns with his wife Lily, and their children Todd, and twins Devon and Didi. In the fourth house, Pete Ricketts, who owns the mill, lives with his wife, Charlene, and their teen-aged grandsons, Daniel and Buck.

Every Saturday, these families take turns gathering at one of the four homes where they enjoy a meal as they catch up on everyone’s news. There’s an easy camaraderie; all four families appreciate the shared friendships.

And then the world turns upside down with the arrival of the coronavirus.

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Originally presented as a serialized novella, one chapter each week posted on the author’s website, the unfolding story is one all readers are conversant with; it is the story each of them has lived. There’s the fear, the blaming, the bigotry and discrimination, the hatred. And, against that viciousness, there’s the friendship, the support, the tenacity, and the faith and the hope.

In this microcosm of this small community, each family has a different response to the pandemic and its effect on the community and on themselves. Readers discover the experiences each one faces and learn how it shapes each person as the pandemic continues its unrelenting spread.

There are no big surprises here; readers know exactly how the growing pandemic affected their communities. The characters . . . especially Little Moses . . . will resonate with readers; there’s a bit of a plot twist or two as the story plays out against the burgeoning pandemic.

It’s a compelling story of struggle and of redemption; a story that reminds us of the power the human contact. Readers will find much to contemplate in the uplifting message this memorable novella brings.

Highly recommended. ( )