Book Blurb:
"Paul: An American Story" is a compelling novella based on the author's recollections of family stories about his Great Uncle, Paul, who "rode the rails" during the Great Depression and eventually migrated to California, the Land of Milk and Honey. Both historical and deeply personal, this book is a fictitious retelling of family history and stands as a reminder that good things can emerge from despair.
The story begins with the return of a Prodigal Son, Paul, to his hometown after nearly five years as a wandering hobo "riding the rails".
As the story unfolds, Paul is first beaten near to death, then resurrected, and ultimately reunited with his community and his family. Through Paul's story, readers are introduced to a fascinating array of characters who Paul encountered during his years of self-imposed exile as an American Hobo. Depression-Era rural Kansas provides the story's backdrop, illustrating a very different America than we know today.
In addition to telling Paul's story, we are introduced to Dr. Thomas Browne, a modest small-town rural physician. But don't let his modest façade mislead you. Doc Browne learned much of his craft as a field surgeon in the trenches of France in WWI, the "War to end all Wars". Doc's "Shell Shock", or PTSD as it is known today, rears its head throughout the story and mirrors Paul's own PTSD offering insight into not only the horrors of war but to the problems many of us face when life's events spin out of our control.
Paul's parents, Maude, and L.A. Thompson, along with a cast of characters, compliment this sometimes violent, sometimes nostalgic, and often mystical story. This is a story that emits emotion and draws its readers into the events and conditions that were definitive of rural America during the Great Depression.
Despite the darkness of the era, this tale's conclusion will leave its readers with a feeling of hope and redemption.
Book Buy Link: https://geni.us/paulanamericanstory
Editorial Review:
“What have I done, Jacob? I've been to War. I've saved many a soul. And War has opened my eyes. Opened my eyes to the horrors and the levels of greed that some men have, all striving for power and personal gain. And no gain can compensate for the losses War creates. But I have learned how to save lives, and I believe Paul is going to be alright, Jacob. I believe Paul is going to make it.”
Sometimes all you need for a quiet evening is a short historical novella that you can zip through, one that is light, interesting, and entertaining. This novel clicks all the boxes for those requirements, even if it sometimes a bit muddled in connectivity or in allowing the reader to truly connect to the characters. Being a novella, the development of the characters is a bit one-dimensional and thus, the reader doesn't have a complete opportunity to get into Paul's head and the issues surrounding why he bolted as a young man and became a hobo in the late 1920s.
The train slowed even more, almost to a crawl. Then the rear door of the Thompson's car slammed shut. Maude looked around into the empty back seat and then she and her husband saw Paul running and jumping onto the moving train as it gained speed and rolled out of sight. It was Saturday, June 6, 1929.
While the author eventually lets the reader in on that this is his rendition of possible family history, of his great-uncle who never really told much about his history of riding the trains, then the homage the author pays to his family is to be commended.
From the outset, we indeed meet Paul, but before you know it, he is running from the Bulls (the train-cops), and one in particular whose mission in life appears to be to see how many hobos he can kill. At the initial introduction of this young man, he is suffering from a severe head injury, is locked up in jail, and then experiences an out-of-body experience as the local Doctor in this small town in Kansas revives him, takes him to his make-shift medical office at his home, and treats him until he recovers. During Paul's recovery, the reader learns about Paul's past through his horrific nightmares... and you come to learn that the Doc is suffering from some of the same problems as a result of serving in the first World War – a side effect of PTSD. Not only is Paul haunted by the burly Bull on the train, the one who knocked him out cold, but he is also suffering from an internal struggle with the images of a young boy he imagined he killed over five years previous at a local baseball game. This freak accident is the reason he fled his hometown and lived life as a loner on the rails. Eventually, the whole story emerges, and Paul learns the truth, plus he must face the consequences of what his 'escape' did to his family.
The two brother drove down the two-lane road along the winter-brown farmland as a massive swarm of birds appeared over the roadway in front of them. “It's called a murmuration – the bird dance, an aerial ballet with tens of thousands of Starlings,” said Paul.
“Starlings and Blackbirds,” replied Jacob, “a huge mass of birds all flying as if they held the same thought, all acting as one mind.”
“Like a living cloud, Jacob,” said Paul.
“Old man Hirschman used to tell us that a murmuration was an omen of good tidings,” said Jacob.
“Varsel om gode nyheder,” said Paul in Danish, his grandfather's native language. …. “An omen of good news....”
This story is a window on life in the Midwest during the Great Depression, and the struggles of families to keep their head above water, and the seedy life of the hobo-existence – the bleak future for many men (and sometimes women) who had no way to support themselves, no homes, and sometimes, no families. Paul returns to his hometown, accepts responsibility for his actions, and emerges from this painful time in his life to a bright future in California. As a whole, as stated, this quick read is entertaining and teaches a lot (from specific terms used by the hobos to scenarios) about this American history. However much the reader might wish for a bit more depth to the characters and world-building, this is a novella which does exactly as the author intended – that is, to fill-in some of his family's history, even if fictionalized, and therefore, is a worthwhile effort in which his family should be proud.
Life can throw you a devil of a curveball, and just when you think you have it figured out, wham, you get hit in the head..... sometimes you need to get knocked out, in order to wake up.
*****
“Paul: An American Story” by William Blair receives 3.5 stars from The Historical Fiction Company
Posted with permission from the author.
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