THE STONES OF RIVERTON: STORIES FROM A CEMETERY by Clif Travers; Down East Books, 2023; 258 pages, $19.95; ISBN 978-1-68475-106-8.
THE STONES OF RIVERTON: STORIES FROM A CEMETERY
Cemeteries are interesting places. They can be peaceful, sublime and scary, but two things are certain according to American journalist Arthur Brisbane (1864-1936): “The fence around a cemetery is foolish, for those inside can’t come out and those outside don’t want to get in.”
“The Stones of Riverton” is one of the most original and clever collections of short stories in recent years. This is Portland author Clif Travers’s debut book, 13 stories inspired by the gravestones in the small town cemetery of Riverton, Maine, a fictional mill town on the Carrabassett River, where “funerals must help to bury old judgments.” This is an ambitious and imaginative effort, and Travers pulls it off nicely.
These are stories of extreme sadness, tragedy, redemption, confession, mystery, deep love, guilt, acceptance and of course, death. In “Alice” (1874-1905), an abused wife explains from the grave how she tried to kill her brutish husband, but she’s the one who died and he’ll hang for a crime he didn’t commit. In “Little Donnie” (1951-1963), young Sammy unexpectedly discovers how a playmate really died, a secret he never wanted to know but cannot give back.
In “JD WUZ HERE” (1948-1968), an evasive and secretive cabin owner and a persistent and curious sheriff spar over words and scant evidence, but both really know the truth. In “A Stranger” (October 12, 1956), a woman sees an unidentified man struck and killed by a car, and what she does next will haunt her for the rest of her life.
Other stories include a crazy uncle and his giant squash, a man who fell down a well (or did he?), and a beautiful love story of a long-married, devoted couple who go on their last snowy toboggan ride together.
TO SWOON AND TO SPAR
About romance, American actress Elizabeth Ashley says: “In a great romance each person basically plays a part that the other really likes.” How true, unless it involves a marriage of convenience that neither party wants, but who each seek personal
TO SWOON AND TO SPAR by Martha Waters; Atria, 2023; 324 pages, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-6680-0790-7.
advantage.
“To Swoon and to Spar” is a Victorian romantic comedy by Maine author Martha Waters, featuring a hilarious marital entanglement between a handsome titled English aristocrat and an attractive young woman. This clever plot proves “it is not love that makes a relationship complicated, it’s the people in it who do.”
Waters provides the perfect blend of romance, whimsy, wry humor and smart plot twists. In 1818, Viscount Penvale is a London gentleman desperate to regain ownership of the ancestral home, Trethwick Abbey in Cornwall, from his obnoxious uncle. He’s thrilled when the uncle
decides to quickly sell the estate to Penvale, but only on one condition: Penvale must marry the uncle’s ward, Miss Jane Spencer.
Jane has lived at the estate for three years, loves the place, hates the uncle, and is only too happy to be rid of him, even if she must marry a man she’s never met. Penvale and Jane agree to marry purely as a convenience for both of them with no expectation of romance or marital bliss. They wed, move to Cornwall, and discover the house is haunted — thumps, bumps, screams in the night. Are there really ghosts at Trethwick Abbey or is something else afoot?
Three chaste months living together reveal much about the couple, and each is surprised at what they discover: his patience and plans, her schemes and snarky behavior, and then the attraction they both feel but won’t admit. A charming romance with a delightful conclusion make this a jolly good read. Elizabeth Ashley is right.
Bill Bushnell lives and writes in Harpswell.
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