BUCKEYE

“The unraveling of time should be mysterious, don’t you think?”

Buckeye is the epic, sweeping novel of the season, spanning decades through the stories of two couples in the small town of Bonhomie, Ohio. Beginning at the onset of World War II, Cal Jenkins is an earnest young man ashamed of his physical inability to serve. Meanwhile, Cal’s wife Becky has an unusual spiritual ability: she is a conduit between the living and the dead. Elsewhere in Bonhomie, Margaret is a young woman with a secretly painful childhood, while her husband Felix harbors secrets of his own, which are magnified when he is sent to fight overseas. The unexpected intersection of these four lives has far reaching consequences for generations in this poignant and unputdownable saga, September’s @readwithjenna pick.

This book felt like opening a time capsule, filled with so many beautifully rendered details that transported me to a different era. And while this period is one associated with “old fashioned American nostalgia,” beneath that veneer is the question of whether this era is worthy of sentimentality. There was so much fear of what was not understood. The familiar cultural symbols of that time contrast with darker issues that affect these characters, who are weighed down by the expectations of the day, and sometimes each other. I loved this novel that explores the passing of time, the consequences of regret, and the power of forgiveness.

Ofc I had to make BUCKEYES for this book! Because if peanut butter and chocolate is ever an option the answer is always a big all caps YES. This is kind of like an elevated Reese’s and I seriously don’t think there is anything better than a Reese’s around trick or treat time. These need time to chill but otherwise they come together so fast and you probably have all the ingredients already. Make some!

Adapted from this recipe: Buckeyes