Suzzy Roche

First things first: I LOVED THIS little book, absolutely LOVED it! Explaining just why ain't so easy. I'm still kinda digesting it, and also telling my wife, "You have GOT to read this book! You will LOVE it!"

I've long been a fan of the Roches' music, so was naturally intrigued when I heard about this book, and now I may have a favorite new author in Suzzy Roche. Her writing style is direct, straightforward, and deceptively simple, but make no mistake, THE TOWN CRAZY sneaks up on ya and show more packs one hellu of an emotional punch. Set in Hanzloo, a small, insular, mostly Catholic Pennsylvania town in the early sixties, the story centers around three young families and a one-eyed nun. The title character, Lil O'Brien, sedated beyond caring for her precocious daughter, Alice, harbors a dark secret. And so does that nun, by the way. And there's Lil's voluptuous blonde neighbor, Clarisse, a controlling mother of "perfect" twins - NOT. (Think The Bad Seed.) And then there's Luke Spoon the handsome young artist, new in town, the seemingly single father of Felix, who tries to form an alliance with the neglected Alice.

That's all I'm saying about the story, except that it is so damn GOOD. I thought of several possible influences - Blake, Cheever, O'Hara, Metallious, E.B. White, and more. Or maybe it's all pure Suzzy Roche. And she is very good! My very highest recommendation.

- Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir, BOOKLOVER show less

Such a bittersweet and beautiful book! An excellent depiction of what can happen in a small town when opinion is swayed by a crazy, jealous, and insecure person. Alice O'Brien and Felix Spoon are innocent pawns of not only the "town crazy," but also, in my opinion, their parents. I didn't expect the kindness and generosity of Sister A, but also had no way of anticipating the surprise twist towards the end. Or, I guess I should say twists. Suzzy Roche's book, The Town Crazy, doesn't offer a show more "and they lived happily ever after" ending, but it does offer what I think is a realistic one and the book is very, very good. show less

Being a fan of the sister group The Roches, I was excited to dive into this book by Suzzy Roche, the youngest of the three sisters. Expecting a light fun read with the clever wit of a Roches song, I found instead, a darker story of a woman lost and damaged by life. A story of broken relationships. A story of the fickle world of the music business. A story of mothers and daughters. A story of redemption. Mary Saint is a washed up punk rock star living a quiet, unassuming, unnoticed life in show more San Francisco. Still grieving after almost a decade, the loss of her lover/bass player in a tragic accident, she gets a call from her mother relaying a request from a teacher at her old high school in Swallow, New York, to come and play a concert at the school. What follows is a rocky road back to Swallow on which Mary faces old demons and finds new strength. I did find some beautiful writing with profound observations which I found inspiring and thought provoking. The only thing that I would say was a drawback (and I have to admit it was kind of a big drawback for me) was the utterly ridiculous names she came up with for the bands and some of the characters in the book - I mean really- “The Tennessee Twinsters”; “Sliced Ham”; “Snarkle Rot” ?? I understand that there are some crazy band names out there - but not every band you encounter has a name that’s practically laughable. It was more than distracting for me. Especially in the first third of the book, before the story really had it’s hold on me, I almost couldn’t get past the “stoopid” names. But trust me fellow readers, it’s worth the effort. This is a respectable debut by Suzzy Roche, and I would look forward to reading her next effort which I understand will be a children’s book. show less

It is 1961 in the Catholic community of Hanzloo in Pennsylvania. All the moms are enjoying their last days of freedom before school starts. All except one, Alice's mom Lil, who is having some kind of breakdown. She is a matter of discussion or gossip, if you will. Clarissa is the lead gossiper and the one that the other mother's try to emulate. Always put together, her twin girls always dressed to the T, her house immaculate. You know the type, mean girl personified.

Things will go from show more fairly timid, to outright tragic as we get a closer look at the inside of these people. We know how looks can be deceiving. I related to this story in unexpected ways. The atmosphere of the early sixties was spot on, and those who have gone to Catholic school or raised catholic, will identify. Sister Annunciate is the Mother Superior, and it was the same named sister who was the Superior of the Catholic School I attended. This one was much nicer. There was also a Father Aloysius, which was the name of the school I attended. Love these book coincidences.

The story is well told, a story filled with hypocrisy, innocence and sorrow. Life had such a different feel then. It is also a novel of parents, mothers and their children. The terror and bullying of childhood, the blindness of parents towards their own children, and passions for something that goes unfulfilled. Secrets and sin. Guilt and depression. Quite interesting to get a peek back at this bygone time, when things seemed simpler but often wasn't.

ARC from Gibson House Press and Library thing. show less