FICTION

The Remedy for Love

by Bill Roorbach
Algonquin. Oct. 2014. 320p. ISBN 9781616203313. $24.95; ebk. ISBN 9781616204280. F
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As the snowstorm of the century approaches, Eric, a small-town Maine lawyer in a messy separation from his wife, gives in to a charitable impulse to help Danielle, a young and basically homeless woman he meets in line at the grocery store. He helps pay for the groceries, then offers her a ride. Danielle asks to be dropped off on the highway just outside of town. Eric again takes pity on her, helping bring the groceries down a steep hill to a cabin on the river and getting more firewood. Danielle is suspicious and hostile, threatening retaliation from her army ranger husband. Eric leaves but finds his car has been towed with his phone inside and returns to the cabin. As the storm rages and the danger increases, Eric and Danielle must find ways to reach each other in order to survive.
VERDICT A gripping tale spun out of somewhat unlikely circumstances, Roorbach's third novel (after 2012's Life Among Giants) is highly readable, suspenseful, and well written. While infused with the flavor of rural Maine, the story transcends place and stereotypes and gets at the core of human love and grief. Recommended for all readers of contemporary fiction.
Reviewed by Nancy H. Fontaine, Norwich P.L., VT , Oct 15, 2014
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