THE TUMBLE INN by William Loizeaux is one of those books
that
defy classification as far as genre. It starts out as a
cozy little work of fiction about a married couple, the
Finleys, who are both teachers in New Jersey. Both are
discontented with their careers and city life. They
practically stumble on the opportunity to be caretakers of
a rustic inn nestled in the Adirondack Mountains in
upstate
New York. But even in the intro, Loizeaux introduces a
cryptic tone as the husband, Mark, is looking back from
twenty years after they took the job. He seems to
question
the decision made twenty years ago.
Mr. Loizeaux by hints scattered through Mark
Finley's narrative, keeps the reader
anticipating . . .something. Good or bad? Sigh of relief
or
oh no! I don't want to write any spoilers in this review,
so it is difficult to give specifics, but the author keeps
you "tumbling" through the story much how the Finley's
live
their lives. They just kind of roll with whatever happens.
Leaky roof, power outages, ice storms, biting flies. .
.The
wife, Fran, is the steady one in the story. She deals with
whatever comes--lovingly and efficiently. When the Finleys
have a daughter whose name is Natalie, life gets a lot
more
complicated. The origin of her name is a hilarious part of
the story.
William Loizeaux, in his captivating book, THE TUMBLE
INN, gets you to care deeply about the Finley family no
matter what their flaws are. And the haphazard story with
its ups and downs and joy and sorrow...well, it's kind of
like real life. And isn't that a major accomplishment in a
work of fiction? I think so and I would love to read more
by this author.
Tired of their high school teaching jobs and discouraged
by
their failed attempts at conceiving a child, Mark and Fran
Finley decide they need a change in their lives. Abruptly,
they leave their friends and family in suburban New Jersey
to begin anew as innkeepers on a secluded lake in the
Adirondack Mountains.
There they muddle through their first season at the inn,
serving barely edible dinners to guests, stranding
themselves in chest-deep snowdrifts, and somehow,
miraculously, amid swarms of ravenous black flies,
conceiving a child, a girl they name Nat. Years later,
when
Mark and Fran are nearing middle age and Nat is a troubled
teenager, Mark’s life is ripped apart, forever changed,
and
he must choose between returning to his old home in New
Jersey or trying to rebuild what is left of his life and
family in the place of his greatest joy and deepest
sorrow.
The Tumble Inn is a moving drama about home and about the
fragility and resilience of love.
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