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smolone13's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Once again, another B&N book of the year that I didn’t think I was truly going to like, but I was honestly intrigued when two of my managers told me how great the book was, not only about the book but how fluid the author’s writing was from previous works that they’ve read. So with that note, I picked it up. In a short-term answer: The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride is a historical murder mystery but also a literary fiction. It follows a Jewish couple, Moshe and Chona, who run the Heaven & Earth Grocery Store in a primarily black community.
The story starts in the present in 1972 in Pottstown, Pennsylvania where police come in after a hurricane and discover bones at the bottom of a well. With the discovery they begin asking many of the old locals if they know of anything and can identify the body. However, most of the locals discard the police. Afterward, the book takes place in the 1930s with Moshe and Chona being the primary focus, however, the author does jump between characters, their backstories, and why they act the way they do to begin with. I know many don’t like that kind of writing because if you aren’t paying close attention, or listening closely if you are following an audiobook, it can be quite confusing. But this book was an honest win for me.
Moshe is a theater owner in the community and even though he is supposed to be the main character of the book, the spotlight is kind of taken away from him. He is a nice man but he also has his concerns, especially when Chona wants him to cater to the black community more and more when his primary audience is Jewish people and the other white people of the community. However, he very much loves his wife and listens to all of her demands without question.
Chona was an absolute doll to me. I loved her from the start and I could see why many of the characters in the book also loved her. She had charm to her. Even though she had polio she was a very headstrong lady who didn’t let anyone push her around. Seriously. Not a single person, including her husband. This was also during a time when white men ruled everything with a hard thumb and she just did not care. Chona loved the black community and even though Moshe wanted to move with the other Jewish people, Chona told him no, and he basically just kept it there. Chona pressed Moshe to serve the community, to allow them to work for him and herself at the grocery store, and even went out of her way to write letters about the Doc of the community running the KKK and other negative reviews. Chona definitely wasn’t afraid to speak her opinion or to let others know if she was upset about something.
The two other characters that are somewhat important, but can also be considered minor characters are Addie and Nate. Addie and Nate work for both Moshe and Chona. Addie mostly works with Chona in the grocery store while Nate works closely with Moshe. They are consistently helping both of them as best they can, especially Chona. After Chona becomes heavily ill Addie doesn’t leave her side for a second while Moshe tries his best to focus on the theater, however, for the majority of his time he allows Nate to try to keep the theater in production while he comforts his wife and allows Addie to run the grocery store. It isn’t until after Chona is getting better that both Addie and Nate take in their Nephew Dodo who just lost his mother and his hearing from a serious accident.
After Dodo’s mother passed away the state is searching for him to send him to Pennhurst, basically an insane asylum, however, they refuse to let him go there. So they ask Moshe if they can hide Dodo. Moshe is reluctant because he doesn’t want to deal with the legality of it all, however, Chona says otherwise. WIth that, Moshe allows Nate to bring Dodo with him into the theater. At first, it worked out fine. Dodo is allowed to help with the theater and is able to hide in the basement. That is until Chona finds out. When she hears that Moshe is hiding the child in the theater’s basement she makes Moshe bring Dodo to the grocery store where he primarily stays. Both Chona and Dodo end up forming a pretty strong connection, considering she can’t have children she absolutely adores the children that come into the store and loves Dodo. Chona allows him to play, but he always wants to help Chona so she allows it. They exchange marbles for snacks and she is always allowing him to play with the neighbor’s children to hide from the state when they appear. However, on one unfateful day, the doctor walks into the store and changes everything. Doc and Chona end up in a heated argument which causes Chona to have a seizure. At first, Dodo wasn’t going to show himself because he knew that he would end up getting in trouble, especially with Doc, however, when Doc starts to undress and sexually assaults Chona. That is when Dodo reveals himself and throws Doc off of Chona and actually begins to beat on Doc. Addie manages to show up and stops the altercation and begins dressing Chona back up. When everyone starts showing up Chona is having another seizure again when the Doc shows up with the local cops who chase Dodo and arrest him. Afterwards, Dodo is sent to Pennhurst while Chona is sent to the hospital.
It is found out that Chona has had a brain tumor the entire time, and her first set of illness was because of the tumor. However, the seizures are mostly from having strokes. Everyone stays by Chona’s side and when she passes Moshe takes it very hard. However, he wants to help Addie and Nate get Dodo back. Just about the entire town ends up setting up a plan to get Dodo out of Pennhurst. For good reason as well. Nate and Addie end up finding out that there is a man there who favors molesting young boys that he favors. The people quickly set up a plan to go underground and get Dodo out of Pennhurst. While Dodo is Pennhurst he meets a sweet boy named Monkey Pants and builds a lasting connection with him. Although he struggles to understand what Monkey Pants is saying, he knows that he adores having his company and he quickly learns how to communicate with him, but in matters that might have been too late. Son of Man does discover who Dodo is and quickly has a fascination with him which terrifies Dodo. However, Monkey Pants is there and constantly takes Son of Man’s attention off of Dodo. When Dodo is getting molested by Son of Man it becomes the last time that Monkey Pants is alive. Monkey Pants ends up having a seizure that alerts everyone in the ward and passes away touching fingers with Dodo. Nate ends up breaking into Pennhurst himself and kills Son of Man. Afterwards saving Dodo from Pennhurst and heads towards South Carolina where they live the rest of their days.
As for back in the town, a few of the locals end up getting hired to do an illegal job of hooking up the water from a sketchy politician and dairy owner to the rest of the town. After hooking up the water they end up leaving it open to find materials to create another man-hole cover. Doc ends up at the wrong place at the wrong time and gets clocked by a gang member whose intention was to kill the sketchy politician. Doc ends up landing in the old well, in the water, and the locals that came back with the materials saw his body and knew exactly who it was and covered the well anyway. Not a single person was notified that Doc was missing, not even his wife and children.
This book was a huge thrill. Toward the end, I kept closing the book and reopening it. I was drawn into reading this book and was enraptured by it. I ended up crying by the end of it. After Dodo went through all that trauma and managed to have a sweet life in South Carolina and became a Love himself was warming. Dodo honestly deserved the best after everything he went through. I would absolutely recommend this book. The entire story, from beginning to end was a 4.5/5 for me. I heavily recommend it, however, I am not sure if I would ever push myself to re-read this book. It was crushing, heartwarming, thrilling and just overall a well-thought-out novel.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Hate crime, Misogyny, Grief, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, and Terminal illness
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Death of parent, Infertility, Police brutality, Excrement, and Injury/Injury detail
tigger89's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This was the first book by James McBride that I've ever read, and if the rest of his books are anything like this one, I understand why he's so popular. This is a story that takes its time, circling repeatedly around the same events to examine them from multiple perspectives, before moving swiftly to cinch the plot tightly around the conclusion. But through all of the plot circling I never felt bored with it, because it was fascinating to get to know the community through the eyes of so many different individuals. I wouldn't go so far as to say the pacing is off, but you will need to bring patience for the slow build-up. It pays off in the final quarter of the story, but it's a journey to get there.
It's worth mentioning that, despite the dark elements in the story — and there are many — this book has a sharp sense of humor. It has to, because if we'd had to read through all of that heavy, grim subject matter without the tension breaking with a chuckle now and again, it would have been too much. That said, the dark parts are incredibly dark. Aside from the obvious racism and white supremacy present throughout, there's some not-so-obvious content, so I encourage readers to check warnings. Despite the negative attitudes expressed by many of the characters, I found the various groups depicted — Black people, Jewish people, and people with disabilities — to be treated with respect by the author.
Despite all the good, there were a few things I wasn't a huge fan of. First, there were some dangling plot elements that seemed to be set up and then forgotten about. For example, there was an ominous deal made out of the half of the note that Fatty dropped, but it ultimately seemed like it didn't matter. And there was also a recurring character who seemed to be set up for a big role in the events, but ultimately he re-entered the plot just before the climax kicked off only to chill off-screen. Don't get me wrong, the matter of who wound up down the well and why was answered in a completely satisfactory manner. But I got the vibe that some additional clarifying scenes had been cut, leaving me with lingering questions about some of the background action.
The other thing that stuck out to me were the occasional preachy asides, where McBride nudges aside the fourth wall to speak directly to the reader on some matter or another. I can't decide if I thought they added to or detracted from the narration. As much as I feel like the story's message should stand on its own without needing to be explained to the reader, I do realize that sometimes we have to hammer the point a bit more obviously to make sure it lands. So I'm conflicted on this.
Ultimately, this was a very good book that deserves every best-of spot it's been landing itself on. I went into it expecting a book about a combined Jewish and Black community standing up against white supremacy, but found a story about the power of community to come together when it matters to take care of each other, regardless of ethnicity or ability.
It's worth mentioning that, despite the dark elements in the story — and there are many — this book has a sharp sense of humor. It has to, because if we'd had to read through all of that heavy, grim subject matter without the tension breaking with a chuckle now and again, it would have been too much. That said, the dark parts are incredibly dark. Aside from the obvious racism and white supremacy present throughout, there's some not-so-obvious content, so I encourage readers to check warnings. Despite the negative attitudes expressed by many of the characters, I found the various groups depicted — Black people, Jewish people, and people with disabilities — to be treated with respect by the author.
Despite all the good, there were a few things I wasn't a huge fan of. First, there were some dangling plot elements that seemed to be set up and then forgotten about. For example, there was an ominous deal made out of the half of the note that Fatty dropped, but it ultimately seemed like it didn't matter. And there was also a recurring character who seemed to be set up for a big role in the events, but ultimately he re-entered the plot just before the climax kicked off only to chill off-screen. Don't get me wrong, the matter of who wound up down the well and why was answered in a completely satisfactory manner. But I got the vibe that some additional clarifying scenes had been cut, leaving me with lingering questions about some of the background action.
The other thing that stuck out to me were the occasional preachy asides, where McBride nudges aside the fourth wall to speak directly to the reader on some matter or another. I can't decide if I thought they added to or detracted from the narration. As much as I feel like the story's message should stand on its own without needing to be explained to the reader, I do realize that sometimes we have to hammer the point a bit more obviously to make sure it lands. So I'm conflicted on this.
Ultimately, this was a very good book that deserves every best-of spot it's been landing itself on. I went into it expecting a book about a combined Jewish and Black community standing up against white supremacy, but found a story about the power of community to come together when it matters to take care of each other, regardless of ethnicity or ability.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Ableism, Antisemitism, Chronic illness, Death, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Medical content, Abandonment, Grief, Kidnapping, and Mental illness
Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Death of parent
mraddd's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Forced institutionalization, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Excrement, Antisemitism, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Grief, Body horror, Racism, Rape, and Xenophobia
klutzykara's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Racial slurs, Antisemitism, Ableism, Fire/Fire injury, Confinement, Excrement, and Xenophobia
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