In this time of health care crisis, self isolation and social distancing, book clubs are playing a vital role in helping to keep the spirit of community and companionship alive, through the sharing of stories that remind us of our common humanity, expand our range of experiences and widen our view of the world.
I would be delighted to participate in a virtual meeting of your club to discuss my debut novel, The Bicycle Man, a story about reaching across whatever divides us to sustain the personal connections at the heart of who we are as a nation diverse yet united.
In prose one reviewer called “lyrical, lustrous and tender,” the story takes readers to the outskirts of the Virginia capital in the spring of 1968. There, delivering the Richmond paper each morning becomes a hero’s journey into the riven heart of a nation torn by racial ferment and divisive war for Sandy, who confronts a staggering loss with help from a mysterious figure who reshapes forever his vision of friendship, faith and possibility.
With schools closed, soccer practice cancelled and our children huddling close to home, this coming of age story recalls a time when a bamboo forest marked the border between two worlds, a honeysuckle swamp was a place of mystery and myth and darkness gave way each day at dawn to the promise of unscheduled time.
I hope you’ll consider The Bicycle Man as a candidate for reading by your club, and that you’ll send me a note here to set up a virtual club meeting to discuss the book.
Thank you and all best wishes for the continued safety and health of you and your fellow club members.
-Bob
