Buckeye

Patrick Ryan's Buckeye is a tender, funny, and sharply observed portrait of small-town Ohio life. Spanning decades, it follows two families whose lives intersect in ways both ordinary and extraordinary, revealing the quiet and sometimes not-so-quiet dramas that shape us.

On the day victory in Europe is declared, Margaret Salt, whose husband Felix is serving on a Navy cargo ship, rushes into the local hardware store to hear the news on a television. There, she meets Cal Jenkins, married to the store owner's daughter, Becky. Ina single, charged moment, an unexpected spark between Margaret and Cal sets off a chain of events neither could have imagined.

The domino effect that follows is unparalleled, each consequence landing with weight and inevitability, and Ryan's characters are so alive you feel as though they might step right off the page. Buckeye is a sweeping, unforgettable novel from a true wordsmith, a story that lingers long after the last line.