(return to catalog)A modern novel from Windswept House written in a flowing style like a painting in words etched on the canvas of Coastal Maine.
| Roblin's Ocean by John Wallace ISBN 1-883650-55-0, paperback, adult, $13.95. |
| Robin and Ann Garrity are proud owners of the Viroqua, a
bed and breakfast inn on the shores of the Atlantic. While Ann struggles to maintain the
establishment, Robin acts more like a guest than an owner... a fact which drives Ann into
the arms of neighbor, carpenter and highly competent handyman, Charlie Thibodean, then
clear across the country to San Diego, in an effort to escape both Rob and Charlie while
starting the process of finding herself again. Thus Robin must awaken from his middle-aged dream state to deal with the rapidly decaying Viroqua, while dealing as well with himself. He gets lots of help though... from his college-aged daughter, the handyman he refuses to hate, and from a mysterious "other" woman who appears strategically on the scene. In this, John Wallace's first novel, we see the world of Robin turned upside down, but nevertheless pulsating, like the ocean tides just beyond his doorstep. |
About the AuthorJohn Wallace grew up in Cranbury, New Jersey, graduated from Rutgers University, and received his MS from the University of Rochester. He has been visiting Maine since childhood. While owning and repairing a succession of claptrap old houses, he has more than once banged his thumb with a hammer. He now lives in Newburyport, Massachusetts with his wife and three children and writes for a technical magazine in New Hampshire. |
