Melville House
368 Pages
I love reading books that have a local flair, and I love character driven books even more. Combine the two, and it’s almost always a recipe for a great book. While The Heart of it All is technically set locally, it is set in another rustbelt locale, which is eerily familiar in its economic and political make up. With this novel, Christian Kiefer has written a tale that we all know, and one that many of us have played a part in. You may recognize your neighbors in this book, even if the names and places have been placed elsewhere.
The novel begins at a funeral for a baby, in some small town in the heart of Ohio. The town is on its last legs, a victim of the Rust Belt decline in the latter half of the twentieth century. It’s barely holding on, with the last vestige of their greatness ensconced in the dwindling profits of a factory now owned by an immigrant family, as its last hope. Without that factory, there would be no real jobs other than the supermarket and similar such places. It’s a relatively close-knit community where everyone seemingly knows everyone else. Add in outsiders and the side-eye glances begin.
There are no main characters; rather, there are three families that we follow through the book. First are the Baileys, a White family that has long been part of the fabric of the town. It is the death of their infant son that opens the book. The Marwat family is from Pakistan and they are the new owners of the factory in town. The factory is the town’s largest employer and employs about thirty people. The Shaw family focuses mainly on Anthony, a Black man from Cleveland who has come to live with his aunt in this small town after a traumatic and senseless tragedy in his hometown. A smaller family, led by Mary Lou, consists of her and her aging and ailing mother, for whom she cares.
Tom Bailey and his wife Sarah have lost their infant son. The book opens on the funeral and luncheon afterwards. Sarah melts away into herself, lost and distant from the rest of the family. Tom tries to provide for his other two children, a daughter and a son, both teenagers. Tom works at the factory as a foreman, supervising some of his friends and neighbors. He tries his best to pull himself out of the funk after his son’s death and to help the rest of the family through the troubling times. His daughter and son have their own issues, mostly dealing with teenage angst.
The Marwat family has issues of its own. As an immigrant family in the heartland, they are subjected to prejudices, both actively and passively from the community, including the ones who owe their livelihood to the Marwats and the factory. While they attempt to acclimate to America, Mr. Marwat’s parents arrive from Pakistan to live with him, causing even more anxiety.
Anthony comes from Cleveland after a senseless crime involving his best friend. He’s passed off to his aunt to keep him safe and let him live in a place where he won’t have to fear for his life. But is that exactly true when he looks different from everyone else? Add to that the idea that he starts dating a daughter of one of the community’s most visible families, and it could be a recipe for disaster.
All of this is woven together into a wonderful tapestry by Christian Kiefer. The small town in which these characters live is almost a character unto itself. The makeup of the town with its inhabitants, give the community itself an identity, which is something that is often overlooked by authors. Kiefer movies this novel life by enriching it with the community’s own attributes.
I read this book in a single sitting. I could not put it down. The Heart of It All by Christian Kiefer is an excellent read. I’m sure many of you readers will find this book simply wonderful to read. Some of you may recognize people, places, and mentalities in this book.
Craig Bacon will someday write a novel set in his hometown. Someday.