When it was my turn to make a book club pick, I went with an author I loved but, for some reason, hadn't read in years: Lorna Landvik. Full of folksy wit and wisdom, this Midwestern bard always got me right in the feels. So I was excited to become reacquainted with her via Chronicles of a Radical Hag (with Recipes).
When fifteen-year-old Sam Carroll finds out that he has to work at his mom's newspaper for the summer, he's bummed. But after literally sleeping on the job at his dad's work (he took a nap in an RV he was supposed to be cleaning), his mom thinks that he's in need of some discipline. What's more, she has a special assignment: read and vet Haze Evans's old columns so they can rerun some until she comes out of her coma. Sam's initial reaction is, who cares what some old lady has to say? But as he reads, he's surprised to find that the answer is most of Granite Creek -- including him.
Hazel "Haze" Evans has been writing for the Granite Creek Gazette since 1964. A wizard at weaving everyday life with current events, she's beloved by many and despised by a few, as evidenced by some scathing letters to the editor. It's one such hater that gives Haze her nickname "radical hag," leading her boss to suggest that she cushion her more controversial columns with recipes.
We get to know Haze through her columns -- as well as some not-fit-to-be-print correspondence -- with Sam as our guide. The more he learns about her, the more he learns about life -- and himself. As do we. Because in all her homespun, colorful candor, Haze makes us think and feel, reminding us that we're more alike than different. It's a lovely legacy, for us and for Sam, lending sustenance to body and soul.
Which is the very best kind of recipe.
Although Haze's lemon bars sound good too.
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