The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store – by James McBride – independent book review – Fiction

No wonder this one is a bestseller! Talented writer (and musician) James McBride serves up a slice of 1930s America — with rich, quirky characters, moments of stomach-sinking horror, and profoundly subtle humor. Plus I cried at the end. What more could you want? Awarded four stars on Goodreads but 4.5 is more accurate.

THE HEAVEN AND EARTH GROCERY STORE is a uniquely constructed story and quite hard to describe. So bear with me.

Think of the novel as having roughly two parts: 

The first part introduces the real town of Pottstown, Pennsylvania, a small industrial town 40 miles from Philadelphia. This is Depression-era America, so Pottstown really represents any place during this period. Residents are struggling to get by and each life is influenced, for better or worse, by the relationships formed with those around them.  

In the second part of the book, McBride skillfully lines up his characters in multiple but interdependent situations. It reminded me of a badly-aligned string of standing dominos. You can’t tell by looking whether each will fall the way you want — but you know they simply HAVE TO, to get to a satisfying ending. The mounting suspense that results is intense.

Pottstown, like many places in the 1930s, reflects the 20th century influx of immigrants. Some have been there long enough to wield political power. Others more recently arrived do not. There was a significant Jewish population, but most have now moved away. Most of those remaining are Black Americans, providing most of the key service and labor jobs needed to maintain the town.  

These are people who understand their community. Corruption is widespread. White residents understand you can’t necessarily expect help through legal and government channels. And Black residents have always understood their lives are ruled by a different set of laws altogether. So the question becomes: what solution is possible when an important need arises — like helping a 12-year-old deaf boy get the protection he needs? 

Under these circumstances, people wind up having to rely on one another. Like on Moshe (who brings entertainers to town) and his wife Chona (who runs the grocery store referenced in the book title) who are two of the Jews who have NOT moved away. They remain in Pottstown, alongside those who are most important to them – their Black neighbors. 

Each of James McBride’s characters felt both distinctive and familiar. Types we all know because they live everywhere. Bullies and crooked cops. Gamblers and loan sharks. Sultry women manipulating the men around them. Even a town doctor who heals by day, but marches with the Ku Klux Klan at night. And for all of them, under the surface, there are also deep allegiances and long kept secrets at work.

Ultimately, the message of THE HEAVEN AND EARTH GROCERY STORE is universal and exposes the best and worst of we humans. Expect instances of injustice, torment and abuse alongside moments full of good intentions and deep human connection. Along with reassuring proof of all that one person is willing to do to help another. Don’t miss this one! It’s a great American novel.

More about the author, James McBride.

You may be interested in my review of another book by McBride: DEACON KING KONG.