Synopsis:

The Stones of Riverton is a collection of linked short stories and novelettes inspired by the gravestones in a small Maine town. The stories are bound together by place and ancestry spanning over 200 hundred years. They un-bury an often shameful history of unexplained deaths and deeply held secrets in a town that is divided both economically and culturally. While fictional, the stories are grounded in the lore, rumors, and fables that were told to the author by parents, grandparents, and local storytellers.

• We meet a mother who is forced to give up her eldest daughter to a tradition that is not hers.
• A young and talented woman is promised to a farmer who physically and mentally abuses her until the death of one of them becomes inevitable. Her efforts to poison her abuser backfire, ending in her own death, although the community is certain he was the murderer.
• Three children find the body of a young boy in their favorite swimming hole, and the discovery puts a town on alert, deepening a long-existing cultural divide. The children learn the truth, but they can never speak of it. That truth would put an impoverished part of town in even more peril than they have already endured for a hundred years.
• A debutante from the city marries a local woodsman against the wishes of her family, only to learn that love is not enough to quell the ferocity of a harsh Maine winter. The real story of how the family perished that winter in 1924 is discovered after sixty years, and it is not at all what townsfolk had assumed.
• In a story that spans four decades, we meet two closeted gay men who fall in love in the ‘60’s amidst the social unrest of the time. As their political careers grow and diverge, one decides to come out while the other is horrified by what it might do to his future. An argument grows into a physical fight, resulting in the death of one and thirty years of guilt for the other.

There are fourteen stories and a prologue. Some of the voices speak from the grave in search of resolve. Others struggle with the conflicts and the sweet-and-sour of life in a town where everyone knows you and your mistakes. But most importantly, these stories are about the secrets of both the living and the dead that reveal the prejudices and the shameful pasts that often exist in rural communities.

Favorite Lines:

“I’m told that Alzheimer’s is a horrible end, and I’m sure for most people it is. But for some of us, memory will be the worst torture of all.”

“Cemeteries can make us think about our lives. Our futures….And mostly our pasts.”

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

When I received this request, I thought it was too interesting not to read it. I admit that I’m still not entirely convinced these are just from a fictional town – I think it adds extra spook factor that their could be some truth to the stories. For context, this is a collection of short stories with an interesting twist: they are inspired by gravestones in a small town in Maine.

As I usually do with short stories,  a couple that I personally enjoyed were Baby and Gertie. Baby was a bit on the creepy side and I found myself living right along with the characters in the story. I could see it being a ghost story; it really reminded me as Scary Stories To Tell In the Dark. Gertie was sad to me but I really enjoyed the conversation between a mother and her child in a moment of seemingly lucidness – it made me ponder some life questions of my own. Be on the lookout for those two but also enjoy the rest of the collection!

I thought this was a really creative idea that led to an utterly unique collection of short stories. I found it especially satisfying the way that some of the stories are woven together and feature a few recurring characters. Travers did a great job at world building through detailed descriptions that made me feel like I was there right along with the characters on the pages.

Summary:

Overall, if you like creative short stories – especially ones with somewhat creepy origins – and all of which that span a variety of themes, then this book could be for you!

The Stones of Riverton