Books: Different From The Rest
By Ray Saadi—Book Editor
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OUR SOULS AT NIGHT By Ken Haruf, Knopf $24
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This little book has a large helping of love and hope in its bittersweet tale of two lonely people. Addie Moore and her neighbor, Louis Waters, both in their 70s, having lost their partners years ago, live alone in their houses. One day, Addie tells Louis how lonely her nights are and he agrees his are, too. She asks if he would like to come to her house at night, just talk, maybe hold hands and sleep, no sex involved. Louis agrees and they are soon the scandal of the small town of Holt, Colo. where everyone knows everyone else’s business. Ignoring the town gossip, the couple bond together in a platonic, yet loving way. What makes this novel so poignant is the author had recently been diagnosed with a terminal disease and wrote this as his farewell. A splendid, well told story.
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GIRL WAITS WITH GUN By Amy Stewart, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt $27
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Based on the true story of one of the nation’s first female deputy sheriffs, this is amusing and often hilarious. Constance Kopp and her two sisters, Norma and Fleurette, live on the family farm outside of Patterson, N.J. One day, while driving in town, their car is rammed by a powerful and wealthy manufacturer, who not only stubbornly refuses to compensate her for damages, he and his thugs threaten her and her sisters. Admiring her gumption, the sheriff deputized Constance, who was taller than most men and tougher than many. Together, they brought the culprits to justice. Great fun.