Reviews with content warning for Forced institutionalization - The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store

The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store is an intriguing examination of the small town of Chicken Hill in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. The narrative opens with Malachi, an old Jewish man, being questioned about a skeleton found in a well with items linked to him. From here, Malachi details how he came to know the local theatre owner Moshe and his wife Chona, owner of the Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, the epicenter of a rich and diverse community. The couple help their friend, Nate, hide his nephew, Dodo, a deaf boy who lost his mother and whom the government is seeking to place into Pennhurst mental asylum. The arrangement goes well until Dodo intervenes to protect Chona from an attack and ends up caught by the police. The aftermath of this climactic moment spans beyond the modest store, implicating all in the community who knew each of those present. Narratives are twisted by prejudice and cruel lies while the truth rests with those whose perspectives are dismissed by authorities for arbitrary assumptions. The story rounds off beautifully as these characters’ individual stories resolve and all that remains is the skeleton, which is only discovered years later and which holds the memory of that unique slice of time.

This is an extremely vague overview because I don’t want to spoil any major developments! I highly recommend you read this if you enjoy:

Heavy emphasis on characters and their relationships with one another. They are developed so meticulously and you understand more about how the town operates with these intertwined narratives.
Race relations and how they impact the outcome of a story. The tensions between white people and the Black and Jewish community play a significant role in how each character is perceived by one another. The injustice of what happens with Dodo reveals how power, control, and discrimination shape the outcome of a situation. We see one man with power upend the lives of the disadvantaged around him, all for his own sick motives.
Witty and engaging dialogue. The conversations between these characters paint a picture of who they are.
Bleak situations balanced by lively characters, everyday depictions and humorous quips.

I really enjoyed this book and while there are a lot of people and stories to keep track of, I took my time with it, immersing myself in the story and getting to know each of the characters. And wow, it was so worth it. Please do yourself a favor and pick this up. A week or two has passed since I’ve finished the book and I’m still thinking about it!

Content Warnings

natesalsbury's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I had trouble with this book. I thought it was well-written with a lot of detail. And it started strong: the first chapter begins with a flash-forward of a body being discovered, leading me to believe the mysterious murder would be central to the story, à la Where the Crawdads Sing. This was not the case- the "mystery" of the body is primarily referenced in the first chapter and the last two, with little impact on the story.

At points, there was too much detail. Introducing a new character required multiple paragraphs (or even pages) of backstory- and there were A LOT of characters. I could not keep track of all of the characters, several with primarily used nicknames; however, on occasion a real name was used and I forgot who that character was and had to go back for context clues. There were also so many points-of-view which made it hard to keep up with. I wasn't sure who the main character was supposed to be, if any.

The plot seemed very convoluted. I wasn't sure why any of these characters specific stories were told until the very end when it was explicitly laid out "This character did this, which meant this character could do this and, as a result, this happened." So it did tie together in the end, but took so long to get there.

This story primarily took place in the late 1920s with the first and last chapters taking place in 1972. At least twice - in random spots - modern day 2000s events were mentioned, specifically referring to school shootings despite almost no gun violence in the book, so I wasn't entirely sure why it was mentioned at all.

Content Warning: Explicit SA.

The first instance happened about midway through the novel and felt semi-important to the story, but was hard to read. The second instance happened near the end and did not feel important to the story; the context of the scenario made some sense, but so would other acts of violence/assault that would have been less traumatic to read.

Overall, I am glad I read this, but would not jump at the opportunity to read it again. Maybe somewhere down the road I will read it with a different perspective (and knowing what's going to happen) and find a way to appreciate it more, but that day will not come anytime soon.

Content Warnings

aggie2010's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

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