You may know Anna Hamilton as a restaurant owner, a realtor, and a strong voice in community matters, but Anna Hamilton has now joined the ranks of authors with her moving debut novel Boy.
Originally from Iowa, Hamilton sets the stage for these 134 pages in farm country, drawing on her roots as she builds a story around Old Man and Wife, their one child, a son Charly, his wife Eileen, their son Jacob, and a cast of friends and neighbors who we meet in the few weeks the book takes place in.
We also meet a small bird that hits the window and is found by Old Man and saved from certain death by Wife.
Wife names the bird Boy. Throughout the book, we learn what Boy thinks and feels as he slowly regains his ability to fly. In the meantime, Boy is a faithful friend to Wife and is cared for by a big rooster and the family farm cat, Mr. Nickels.
It’s been nine years since Hugh (Old Man) and Betty’s (Wife) son, Charly died from cancer when the small bird hits their window. Wife, who is deep in the throes of dementia during that nine-year period, has rarely spoken, awakens somewhat and adopts the bird.
“The only good thing about the disease that ate away at her brain was that it was like a sideshow that presents a fleeting image, before quickly changing to another. Even if there were times he wanted the slideshow to slow down, he was grateful that a few minutes before it hadn’t, for her sake.” Old Man.
The book starts with a miracle when the bird lives and Betty finds purpose in caring for the bird— even in small moments—and ends with a miracle for Betty and Hugh at Thanksgiving.
In between the reader will learn about the nitty gritty side of farm life, the deep sadness that Betty and Hugh felt the day Charly died, mixed with joy because on that same day their grandson Jacob was born, and the return nine years later when Jacob and his mother Eileen come back to live at the farm.
The book isn’t all sadness. There is humor, and funny anecdotes sprinkled through the pages. New life comes to the farm when nine-year old Jacob and his mother move in. Overarching though is the trial and tribulations Hugh and Betty’s 61-year marriage underwent, the love of and for their neighbors, friends, and family, and the remarkable care Hugh provides for his wife who is disappearing in front of him.
The book culminates in a Thanksgiving dinner at the Roberts family farm for their friends and neighbors where four long tables are set up in the barn.
“There would be no wobbly pop up tables, and no folding chairs to separate guests from one another during their Thanksgiving feast. Her guests would sit shoulder to shoulder as they talked, and ate and drank until the only thing for them to do was dance.”
As Boy gains strength, he meets a feathered girlfriend and sees others just like him getting ready to fly away before winter comes. Will Boy leave the farm and rejoin his kind? And what about that second miracle? You will have to read the book to find out.
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