South of Superior

Nasa Public Domain image of Lake Superior

South of Superior
Book Review

McAllaster is a fictional town located south of Lake Superior on Michigan's upper peninsula.  Ellen Airgood, author of South of Superior  modeled it on her own hometown, Grand Marais. Living along the shore requires a hardy personality; people who can deal with frigid, below zero winter temperatures and gale force winds. Knee deep snowfalls pile up, melting only in the spring, when snowflakes turn into pelting rains. As with any small town, hardship and poverty are a way of life for residents of McAllaster.

South of Superior begins with a prologue; a letter from Gladys Hansen asking Madeline Stone to come to McAllaster to help Gladys care for her sister, Arbutus who is crippled with arthritis. The sisters are staying with Arbutus' son Nathan in Chicago where Madeline resides and grew up. At first Madeline is angry that Gladys would have the audacity to ask for her help. For many years, Gladys lived with Madeline's now deceased grandfather. When Madeline was three-years-old her mother abandoned her in a church basement's soup kitchen. Her grandfather refused to take the child.

Although Madeline was well cared for and loved by Emmy, the woman who raised her, she resented her grandfather who appeared to have time and money for his ladyfriend, but not his granddaughter. After a long, typical bout with cancer, Emmy died a year before the letter arrived. Gladys seems to understand how Madeline feels; lost and alone. Curiosity and a feeling it is the right thing to do, Madeline visits the elderly sisters at Nathan's home. Madeline instantly bonds with Arbutus, as if the woman is the grandmother she never had.

To the dismay of her fiancé,  and co-workers, Madeline quits her long-held waitress job, packs up her apartment and heads to McAllaster, intending to return to Chicago ~ someday.  So begins an adventure intended to cure the emptiness in Madeline's soul. Gladys is a crotchety woman, refusing to relinquish control over any care giving duties. With nothing to do Madeline is quickly bored, missing the hustle and bustle of Chicago. Her only pleasure is the beauty of the lake which pleases her artistic eye. Unsure of her ability, she begins to paint trying to capture the beauty of the area and its people on canvas.

The main characters in the novel are elderly, lifetime residents of McAllaster who are resistant to changes as outsiders snatch up lakefront property to build expensive vacation homes. Their independence and freedom are being eroded as newcomers bring modernization
and city ways into town.

South of Superior held my interest from start to finish. It is a novel about overcoming life's many challenges, survival, acceptance and finding joy in unexpected places. Many writers and wannabe authors aspire to penning the next great American novel. Airgood seems to have accomplished this with her debut novel South of Superior. On the minus side is the title which does not shout out "Read me!".  There is a typo on page 247 in this 374 page book. Mabel was spelled Mabol.

The book was published by Riverhead Books, the Penguin Group, copyright 2011, with list price of $25.95. Visit www.riverheadbooks.com or www.ellenairgood.com for more information.