October 01, 2015

A Place We Knew Well - Susan Carol McCarthy


Bantam Books, September 29, 2015.






Four Stars


In October of 1962, many Americans were caught up in the panic of the Cold War, and the Avery family is no exception. Wes Avery, along with his wife and daughter, has constructed for himself the perfect piece of the American Dream, and it is all disintegrating in the face of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Family values are of the utmost importance, and the author shows their destruction as a microcosm of the overall political crisis.

Wes is a veteran of WWII, and having witnessed firsthand the destruction of Hiroshima, he has a unique perspective on the situation in Cuba. Like most of his generation, he risked everything to end the war – to guarantee peace for his family – and now the threat has returned. The author provides a realistic portrayal of the madness of the time, including many intriguing historical details. It is a well-researched story that made me want to learn more, which I think is the sign of great writing.

Amidst the major threats of Castro and Khrushchev, the more trivial issues of everyday life continue as well. The panic of the whole community is distilled into the character of Sarah Avery, Wes’ wife. Her stress over world events is hidden with a myriad of pills prescribed freely by her doctor, as it was for many women in the sixties, but erratic behaviour is the main result of her overmedication. Meanwhile, the Averys’ daughter Charlotte just wants to enjoy the homecoming dance like a regular teenager.

Charlotte’s relationship with Emilio, a “Pedro Pan” boy, is one of the most interesting parts of the novel for me. Many children from Cuba were sent to America during the crisis to protect them from possible missile strike. While our focus on the Cold War is usually its effect on American lives, it was intriguing to learn about Cubans living in the United States at the time – they not only worried about their families back home, but also had to deal with racism in their adopted communities.

The novel expertly explored the non-fiction aspects of the Cuban Missile Crisis without becoming too dry – with Wes as a guide, the descriptions of the time period had a natural flow. I felt like I knew Wes, and I could relate to Charlotte, but I wish we could see more from Sarah’s perspective. In contrast, the Averys’ family secret – the climax of the story – was predictable and unsurprising. Overall, the novel had many good qualities, although some didn’t quite come together in the end. Even so, it was worth the read just for the historical details.

I received this book for free from Bantam Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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