THE HEAVEN AND EARTH GROCERY STORE by James McBride

Heartwarming and yet filled with the frailties of humans is my one sentence comment on this book. HEAVEN AND EARTH tells the story of the town of Pottstown, Pennsylvania in the 1920’s and the disparate group of people who live there. The Jews and the Colored live on the hillside above the town, the “arrived on the Mayflower” whites live at the bottom of the hill and the “new” immigrants live somewhere in the middle. Do they get along? Well, maybe. Chona, the Jewish woman who has always lived in Pottstown and runs the grocery store is a good (and beautiful) woman. She lives among and is friends with the Colored folk who live about her on the hill. She feeds everyone whether or not they can pay. Her husband is the successful owner of the TWO local live music theaters that cater to both Colored and white folk. The local doctor is enamored of Chona and is NOT a good doctor although he is the only doctor. In 1972, long after Chona, her husband and Doc are gone, a skeleton is found in an abandoned well. Who is at the bottom of the well and why? And that, friends, is the plot of the story. Excellent writing, characters that leap off the page and a plot that will keep you guessing are the hallmark of this author. McBride has a clear understanding of his characters and the interactions between them. The intricacies of the plot will keep your attention and stay with you long after you have finished the book. Pay careful attention as the “plot thickens” in the last fourth of the book. (If you are triggered by the use of “Colored” or “Negro” you might want to skip this book. Please don’t!) 5 of 5 stars