Miles Roby manages the Empire Grill, a greasy spoon in a decaying Maine logging town owned by the wealthy Whiting family. He spends his days navigating a stalled divorce from his wife, Janine, and protecting his artistic daughter, Tick, from the town's social stagnation. The narrative tracks the decline of local industry and the suffocating influence of Mrs. Whiting, who controls Miles’s livelihood and the town’s real estate. Detailed subplots involve his alcoholic father, Max, and a looming threat of violence at the local high school.
Readers interested in the economic collapse of the American Rust Belt choose this novel for its unsentimental portrayal of working-class survival. It attracts those who value character-driven realism over fast-paced action. You walk away with a specific understanding of how inherited poverty and geographic isolation trap families in a cycle of resentment. The book provides a technical look at how the closure of a single mill destroys the social fabric and psychological hope of an entire community.
Balanced in tone; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Story Seeker. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 2001
- Language
- EN
