The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend

A Good Pick-Me-Up Book

This story centers around a friendship between Sara, an awkward young Swedish woman, and Amy, an elderly lady who lives in a small town in Iowa. Their paths initially cross as a result of an online book sale transaction. In addition to being separated by an ocean, they are also very different, culturally and in terms of age. But they have one thing in common; they are both diehard bibliophiles. So, it is their love of reading and their passion for books that fuels their relationship. Following their initial meeting online, they continue to communicate as pen pals by interacting with each other via the lost art of letter writing. Yawn! Sounds boring; and it would be, if the story ended here.

After several years of working as a bookseller, Sara loses her job when the bookstore in her hometown in Sweden goes out of business. Feeling bereft and distraught, she embarks on a journey to America to visit her friend Amy. Actually, the story begins with her arrival in the fictitious town of Broken Wheel. Then things get interesting, to say the least.

This is a wonderful book on several levels. First, it is packed with quirky characters that’ll make you laugh out loud. In addition to books and reading other themes include small town relationships, loyalty, and hospitality. However, lest you think this is a lightweight “sappy” story, it also deals with some thought-provoking issues such as immigration, interracial love, and LGBT relationships. To avoid spoilers, I’m going to stop here. But if you want to know how the author integrates these topics into the story and still manages to keep the tone of the book lighthearted and not contrived, well, I guess you’ll just have to check it out and listen to