Dalton Novels

A NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR From debut author Shannon Bowring comes a novel of small town America that Pulitzer-winner Richard Russo calls, "measured, wise, and beautiful." In most small towns, the private is also public. In the town of Dalton, one local makes an unthinkable decision that leaves the community reeling. In the aftermath, their problems, both small and large, reveal a deeper understanding of the lives of their neighbors, and remind us all that no one is exactly who we think they are. It's 1990. In Dalton, Maine, life goes on. Rose goes to work at the diner every day, her bruises hidden from both the customers and her two young boys. At a table she waits, Dr. Richard Haskell looks back on the one choice that's charted his entire life, before his thoughts wander back to his wife, Trudy, and her best friend. Trudy and Bev have been friends for longer than they can count, and something more than lovers to each other for some time now-a fact both accepted and ignored by their husbands. Across town, new mother Bridget lives with her high school sweetheart Nate, and is struggling with postpartum after a traumatic birth. And nearer still is teenager Greg, trying to define the complicated feelings he has about himself and his two close friends. The Road to Dalton offers valuable understandings of what it means to be alive in the world-of pain and joy, conflict and love, and the endurance that comes from living.

A SEPTEMBER 2024 INDIE NEXT PICK Return to Dalton as Shannon Bowring draws another stunningly human portrait of small town America. It's been five years since Bridget Theroux's death shocked the small town of Dalton, Maine, leaving behind husband Nate and daughter Sophie, now a vibrant young child. Nate doesn't always know how to answer her questions, but he is intent on raising her with joy-and shielding her from her grandmother, Annette, who remains dangerously locked away in her grief. After his first year away at college, Greg Fortin is back in town for the summer to work at the family store. It's expected he'll take over the hardware business eventually, but finding the words to tell them no-and the truth about who he is-has become his own Everest. Rose's abusive ex, Tommy finally disappeared a few years ago, though sometimes his presence in the eyes of her oldest son unnerves her. She and Nate are finding themselves drawn together by their children's playdates, and into a delicate balance between friendship and the possibility of more. And Trudy and Bev, always so sure of their love for each other, find themselves rocked when Trudy's husband Richard suffers a heart attack, bringing into focus all the guilt she has felt about their empty marriage for years. Shannon Bowring demonstrates once again that she understands exactly where the heart of a story lies. Where the Forest Meets the River is a poignant return to the small town of Dalton, whose inhabitants continue to startle and humble both themselves-and us.