Review: Delivery captures small town living.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 25, 2011
With precision and ease,Diana Prusik captures the essence of small-town living in her debut novel, Delivery. We see the heart of the small town of Mount Helicon through the interactions of its many characters. I liken it to Jan Karon's Mitford Series. The main stage is the Wilson's family-owned florist shop. The story is centered around Livi Wilson Jarvis,a young woman who has turned to alcohol to deal with the tragic loss of her brother,Buddy in the Vietnam War, the recent death of her good friend,Bink Carter and the decline of her mother,Ida to Alzheimer's Disease.The community rallies around her to save her from herself and help her find her way back to God. Diana weaves in just the right amount of detail and action to bring her characters alive to me. Having grown up in a small town I could relate to the people, places and things in the story with all the simplicities and intricacies that a small town offers. Diana creates a mood of sadness, heartbreak,camaraderie and comic relief masterfully as her story unfolds. I could feel the pain and panic of Ida's declining health, the tension between Livi and her sister,Gretta, the sorrow over losing Buddy, the warmth of Mom Robinson's hugs and counsel. These characters became real to me. In real life ,there is usually no real end of the story, only transitions. I love that Diana ended this story with a sense of hope, leaving room for a sequel. I have met the Wilsons and I hope to meet them again in Diana's next book. Great read. I loved it!