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Community Life
Readers of prior Jon Hassler novels will
be particularly pleased with his latest book, The
Staggerford Flood. Agatha McGee at age 80 retains all her ability to
bring out the best in others. When the waters of the Badbattle River rise,
Agatha attracts a houseful of guests to her home, the highest point on
Staggerford’s River Street. The group comes back together for a reunion on the
first anniversary of the flood and we learn how those few days spent in
crisis under one roof transformed several individuals.
Hassler captures rural life, friendship and
the challenge of making moral decisions for the greater good. His writing is
always crisp and clear, with well-selected images, and flawless dialogue.
Here’s an excerpt from page 61:
“She explained
that the city clerk, a man names Mulholland, had been visiting houses along
the river and recommending that those with old, unfortified foundations have
their basements filled with water to withstand the pressure the flood was
certain to exert. ‘He says our foundations will collapse inward if we don’t.’
‘Nonsense,’ said Agatha. ‘Please come
into my house. I’ll get the city clerk on the phone.’
Frederick helped Agatha indoors and hung up the coats of the two women; then,
while he drove around to the alley and into the garage, Agatha, going to her
window chair, phoned city hall and asked for William Mulholland. ‘He has a
one-track mind,’ she confided to Linda Schwartzman. ‘He was the same as a
sixth grader. Gets an idea in his head and never lets it go. Do sit down.’
Her guest took the chair she pointed to – Father Healy’s chair nearby – and looked
around at the many admirable pieces of very old furniture. A book collector,
Linda Schwartzman was especially taken by the matching set of free-standing,
glassed-in bookcases.
‘William. Agatha McGee. What’s all
this foolishness about flooding people’s basements?’
The Ferguson house, though larger, didn’t have the potential of the McGee
house, Ms. Schwartzman decided, didn’t have the grace, the feeling of
spaciousness. It lacked the wide windows giving out on a large yard.
‘William with all due respect to your
colleagues on the Mississippi flood plain … I have to say it’s an idea I’ve
never heard of before. And what happens to everything we have stored in our
cellars? Do you think …?’
But these rooms, despite the windows, had a rather gloomy aspect on says like
this. Ms. Schwartzman would start by painting the dark oak woodwork white and
laying down a cream-colored carpet.
After a few more words with the city clerk, including, ‘But I sit high above
my neighbors and I have a strong foundation!’ Agatha hung up and turned to
her guest. ‘The bigwigs at city hall are expecting trouble. William Mulholand
claims what I don’t for a minute believe. He says there’s a chance of all of
us along River Street … will wake up the day after tomorrow with water up to
our windowsills. Those with weak foundation walls can save them by equalizing
the pressure from within. He says it won’t be necessary in my case, because
my foundation is made of stone. My guess is that yours is, too, Miss
Schwartzman, so let’s have a cup of tea … and watch the water come up.’
Agatha headed for the kitchen.
‘But mine isn’t stone. It’s a thin
wall of cement.’
‘The Ferguson house? But it must be
stone. It went up at the same time this one did.’
‘No, the engineer examined my
basement.’
Agatha stopped and considered this. ‘I see. Well, the Fergusons were very
thrifty people. They employed my father as their attorney and he always had
trouble collecting his fees.’”
Agatha’s deep care and concern for others
and for the community leads her to lie about something grave, which produced
waves of guilt. Father Healy knew of the lie and condoned it as a small sin
intended to help others. Agatha’s scrupulosity and Father Healy’s nonchalance
make for a fascinating relationship between those two characters. Characters
from prior Hassler books return during The
Staggerford Flood, and new characters fit right in. Whether you’re a
first-time or seasoned reader of Jon Hassler’s works, you’re likely to enjoy
reading The
Staggerford Flood.
Steve Hopkins, October 2, 2002
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ã 2002 Hopkins and Company, LLC
The
recommendation rating for this book appeared in the November 2002
issue of Executive
Times
For
Reprint Permission, Contact:
Hopkins
& Company, LLC • 723 North Kenilworth Avenue • Oak Park, IL 60302
Phone: 708-466-4650 • Fax: 708-386-8687
E-mail: books@hopkinsandcompany.com
www.hopkinsandcompany.com
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