Acton reviewed Bowlaway by Elizabeth McCracken
Review of 'Bowlaway' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
This is a wonderfully quirky family saga revolving around a bowling alley. How could that not be original? And it starts with a woman found (alive) in a cemetery. What was she doing there? Where did she come from? This is Bertha Truitt, who claimed to have invented candlepin bowling. Readers will discover that she'd certainly reinvented herself; the only story Truitt ever gives is the present one. During this first scene, we get a first impression of Bertha, Leviticus Sprague, the doctor she marries, and Joe Ware, who will become an important part of her future business.
Very quickly, it seems, she's built a bowling alley and become the focus of the little town of Salford, Massachusetts. This happens around the turn of the century, when women bowling in public (without a curtain to hide them!) is a bold undertaking. But then, Truitt has also wed the black doctor …
This is a wonderfully quirky family saga revolving around a bowling alley. How could that not be original? And it starts with a woman found (alive) in a cemetery. What was she doing there? Where did she come from? This is Bertha Truitt, who claimed to have invented candlepin bowling. Readers will discover that she'd certainly reinvented herself; the only story Truitt ever gives is the present one. During this first scene, we get a first impression of Bertha, Leviticus Sprague, the doctor she marries, and Joe Ware, who will become an important part of her future business.
Very quickly, it seems, she's built a bowling alley and become the focus of the little town of Salford, Massachusetts. This happens around the turn of the century, when women bowling in public (without a curtain to hide them!) is a bold undertaking. But then, Truitt has also wed the black doctor we met in the cemetery. This may raise eyebrows, but the reaction is subtle.
As time rolls on, the alley goes through changes, as do the people. A series of unpredictable events occur, and the first seemed too strange to be true. I thought the book was taking some kind of mythical turn, but no, it's based on a real event and I'm not going to reveal it. Read it before someone spoils this for you! It's a major plot twist that changes everything. It won't be the last twist.
Bowlaway surprised me in its seriousness. It's about love and grief and it's actually profound. Odd people who go forth and either set up or knock down their lives have stories that are vividly engaging. I rooted for everyone. Well... almost everyone.
The farther I got into this novel, the faster I read. If Elizabeth McCracken intentionally wrote this to be like a ball gathering speed, she nailed it.
I highly recommend this! This was my first experience with this author.
(note: Years ago, my husband and I were visiting Mount Snow, Vermont, and found some random local place to have lunch. I don't remember what we ate, but the place also had a small, different sort of bowling alley-- what I think they called pin bowling. We wound up trying it, and enjoyed it. Spontaneous bowling! Who knew? Too bad I don't remember more about it.)