Trail of Hearts Blood Wherever We Go: A Novel - Softcover

Olmstead, Robert

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0805058435 ISBN 13: 9780805058437

Publisher: Holt Paperbacks, 1998

Synopsis

Eddie Ryan, haiku poet, Vietnam veteran, and town mortician of Inverawe, New Hampshire, sps his days slipping hand-written poems into the pockets of the departed, keeping lists of bizarre local deaths, and protecting his wife and children from his own fear and anxiety. Then, one snowy Christmas eve, a gypsy logger named Cody steers his truck onto Ryan's front lawn--with the accidentally bisected corpse of his partner strapped to his plow. Cody, garrulous and grieving, wins Eddie's sympathy and a place to stay. Soon, Eddie and Cody find themselves sping time together fishing, hunting, drinking, and unraveling the secrets of their Inverawe neighbors, including the most troubling mystery of all--who is stealing the hearts from Eddie's corpses and why. A Trail of Heart's Blood Wherever We Go is vintage Olmstead: lyrical, heady, and full of hard-won wisdom.

About this title

About the Author:

Robert Olmstead is the author of five books, including Stay Here With Me (Owl Books 0805053581), American By Land (Owl Books 0805051198) and River Dogs (Owl Books 0805051201). He is currently working on his next novel at his home in Ohio.

From School Library Journal:

YA-- Eddie Ryan, a young mortician, awakes one Christmas morning to find Cody, a freelance lumberjack, at his door. Cody has brought with him not gifts, but the mangled body of his logging partner. Despite their unorthodox introduction, Eddie and Cody forge a friendship and help each other come to grips with their pasts. In the course of the novel, Eddie realizes that every resident of, and therefore every corpse in, his town has a story. It is these stories, and their sometimes sad implications, that help Eddie develop a deeper understanding and love of his family. Olmstead uses his eye for detail to create the realistic town of Inverawe, New Hampshire. It is this attention to detail and his offbeat brand of humor that result in the vivid characterizations of the residents. Some of the quirky personalities include an ex-motorcycle daredevil, his 500-pound wife, and a doctor who sedates rambunctious children. YAs are sure to be be struck by Olmstead's poignant observations on the nature of life and death while they enjoy the book's humor and unusual people. --Phillip Clark, R. E. Lee High School, Springfield, VA
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Holt Paperbacks
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0805058435
• ISBN 13: 9780805058437
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 416