James McBride is an author I enjoy reading. He once wrote for the Boston Globe. His first novel, The Color of Water, is excellent. In fact, this novel, The Heaven and the Earth Grocery Store is reminiscent of The Color of Water. One of the major characters, Chona Ludlow, sounds like McBride's grandmother. McBride's grandmother was Jewish and lived above a grocery store with her family. So far, the two novels have the same setting. The Jewish and Black families, as neighbors, are similar in the two books.
The plot is a big difference. In The Heaven and the Earth Grocery Store, there are a couple of murders. The story begins with finding a murdered man. The story ends with an explanation of how that happened. In between, the reader is introduced to the village of Chicken Hill, and its assortment of nationalities, colors, and religions. It often is humorous. The story turns serious when Chona takes in a young black boy who lost his parents. The boy is deaf, but not mute, and intelligent. The government wants to take him away and put him in a mental hospital.
Unfortunately, the kid is taken and put in the institution. One of the characters, big Nate, who is a dangerous man, but one of the good guys, helps snatch the boy, out of the institution. They get away and life goes on. More or less.
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Story will make you laugh, cry, cringe, and hope. What more do you want?
