COUNTRY PEOPLE

This deliciously witty novel documents a young family’s hilariously bumpy relocation to rural Vermont and adjustment to country life. Miles is a devoted husband and father, but an underachiever in all other areas, especially his 12-years-late PhD that may never happen at all. While his wife finds professional success, Miles seeks satisfaction elsewhere, becoming entrenched in Vermont life, and befriending an endearingly eccentric cast of characters. Newly fascinated by Vermont life and with a local legend, Miles begins to question whether this folktale may be more than just a myth.
🌳
If the charming weirdness of early John Irving novels and the fish out of water hilarity of Schitts Creek had a book baby, it would be Country People. This novel is filled with oddball characters and absurd anecdotes, narrated with perfect precision in the audiobook - I’m still laughing at Miles’s hapless attempts to play the part of an authentic country guy (muddying his new jeans on purpose for a man-date with a scythe-wielding would-be apple farmer)😂 This a delight - be prepared to dig deep (literally and metaphorically), let go and laugh!
🌳
Abundant (!!!) zucchini at Miles’s local farm stand inspired this summer squash pizza pairing. I love summer meals that are more about assembly than cooking - also I felt very old school Vermont farmers market-y grating one zucchini after another by hand. Add some shredded gruyere and: instant yum.