The House Guest: Pathway to Persuasion is a heartwarming, entertaining tale that is sure to take the reader on an oft humorous journey dealing with daily life in the small Midwestern community of Tilden, Nebraska. Love, tragedy, grief, and betrayal leave their respective impacts on the endearing characters where the atmosphere is frequently peppered with intolerant and narrow-minded persuasions. The kitchen table is the epicenter of lively, colorful dialogue where no subject matter is taboo.
The story centers around Maggie, widowed mother to nine-year-old Jenna and owner of an old Victorian manor that caters to boarders in Tilden and surrounding Madison County area. When a sudden, surprising death rocks the little community, Maggie inherits two new boarders at the manor. One is her dear family friend Anna, the other is Noah, a skilled wanderer who is looking for a little work and a comfortable bed. So begins a tale of simple humanity, day to day living and the realities of family life after grief and loss have left their mark.
A fascinating fourth-wall-smashing twist at the end leaves the reader questioning the nature of fiction, memory and the space where the two intermingle. The House Guest: Pathway to Persuasion is a well-crafted, highly-detailed read with plenty of charm.