by Jonathan Dee
Reviewed by Linda:
I once met a librarian from the Berkshires who told me that many of the new houses in his hometown have helicopter pads in the backyards. I thought of him as I devoured Jonathan Dee’s new novel about a small Berkshire town confronted by rising inequality, working class decline, and a new authoritarianism. We come to know many of the locals, who often struggle to get by while sharing their picturesque community with wealthy New Yorkers who own lavish weekend homes there. Then one of the weekenders moves his family in year-round and becomes first selectman, making decisions big and small that affect the residents.