Suzzy Roche

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

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

A very good book. I searched out WAYWARD SAINTS because I had recently read Suzzy Roche's new novel, THE TOWN CRAZY, and enjoyed it immensely. This one is about ten years old, and I guess it came and went without much fanfare. But yeah, it's a very good read, all about Mary Saint, a girl who didn't fit in growing up in a small town in upstate New York and was abused by her blue collar father. She escaped into the alt-rock, grunge music scene, touring for several years with her band, Sliced show more Ham, across America and the UK until she inevitably crashed from drugs and alcohol, following the accidental death of her musician lover. There is much here too about Mary's childhood and adolescence in tiny Swallow, NY, including a mystical encounter with the Blessed Mother - "the Other Mary" - which leaves a lasting impression. After hitting bottom and rehab, Mary lives a quiet, anonymous life in San Francisco, and becomes part of an odd quasi-religious congregation that faintly echoed the church group that Anne LaMotte has written so eloquently about. The story centers around a "comeback concert" in Mary's hometown after several years of quiet obscurity , as well as an intimate look into the life of Mary's mother, Jean, a devout Catholic and a battered wife.

Suzzy Roche is, of course, a singer-songwriter herself, one of the Roches, along with her two sisters, so she writes knowledgeably about the music biz and life on the road. She is a rarity, I think, as a musician who also is a talented writer of fiction. I thought of a gem-like story collection, BODIES OF WATER, that I read more than twenty years ago by Rosanne Cash. This book compared well, measures up. Good book. Very highly recommended.

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

I liked this novel a lot - just a bit over 260 pages but a great view of a small suburb in Pennsylvania in the early 60's. (I've been watching Mad Men and although the locations are different, the women's lives do have similarities.) This story centers around several families. There's Lil O'Brien who suffers from severe depression and her struggling husband Jim and daughter Alice. There's loud, busybody Clarisse McCarthy with a creepy set of twins and her circle of gossipy housewives. show more There's handsome, mysterious Luke Spoon and his son Felix. I particularly enjoyed the nuns in the town's Catholic school - their annual All Saints Day party was quite something. This novel is gently humorous but it especially depicts loneliness and grief in very moving terms. show less