Greenwood

Greenwood is a book that defies all geographical boundaries, despite its Southern setting. Its relatable, entertaining, good-hearted, and sometimes quirky characters are all driven by the same predictable flaws and predilections we share as human beings. This is perhaps why the characters often make confusing, even baffling choices in their lives. For instance, in the story "Sara Jean's Bees," why did Merle Flack decide to put an active beehive in the backseat of his car and drive it to his sister's new home when he had a deathly fear of bees? And what made Robert Lee Johnson in the story "A Game of Chess" decide to hike the Appalachian Trail when he absolutely hated everything about camping, including sleeping on the ground?

The other connecting narrative here is a sense of belonging and place. In the signature story "Greenwood," Hamilton Green, a returning prodigal son, confesses that coming home has made him both "grateful and perhaps a little sad." He regrets abandoning "the warm embrace of my family and community for all these years," while at the same time celebrating the "sweetness" in his life and the "meaningful, deep connections" he now enjoys by choosing to live in his native community once again.

Perhaps this is how every reader should approach this book, not so much as a series of connected short stories but more accurately as a welcoming invitation to come home again for a long overdue visit. The characters in Greenwood, with all their flaws and quirks, remind us of our own humanity and the universal desire to belong. It is a book that transcends its setting and speaks to the core of what it means to be human.

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