This is a warm, wonderful coming of age story about a middle aged man, his 10-year-old son and his on-again-off-again wife. Awarded four stars on Goodreads.
Quinn has been a struggling musician all his adult life, able to give his music the kind of attention and commitment he can give no human being. This naturally takes a toll on his wife, Belle, and son.
Quinn’s son has been working hard on Saturdays to complete some Boy Scout requirements and winds up volunteering to do odd jobs for 104-year-old Ona Vitkus, a Lithuanian immigrant in desperate need of companionship. Her impact on this boy, his on her, and together, the impact their relationship has on Quinn and Belle are at the heart of this story.
It’s a lovely story about self-discovery, about a son’s hidden gifts, about grief, and the way an absent father can finally come to love his son fully and without reservation.
It’s also about the legacy we can all leave behind when we die. Be sure you stick with this one. It’s gets much more absorbing about half way through.
Toby A. Smith 