A Better Place
Before he wrote A Better Place (Mandevilla Press), Steven M. Forman made a name for himself with the Boca trilogy, a series of mystery novels set in Forman’s own Boca Raton.
This novel, an epic 400-plus-page saga spanning most of the twentieth century and revolving around the story of one interconnected family, is definitely a departure from the Boca books.
A Better Place shares more DNA with John Irving’s body of work, and manages to do for twentieth century Americana what Latin American literature has been doing for generations: depicting multiple generations of a family and the ways in which one’s ancestors’ choices shape the future.
The saga of the Hensen family begins with the birth of their Golden Boy Jonas, also known as “the Ghost” due to a persona he takes on in the First World War. Jonas’ journey from small-town hero (that town being North Platte, Nebraska, itself a character in A Better Place) to big-time war hero to family man reflects the glory days of a bygone era.
“THE GHOST” BECOMES THE GHOST OF THE PAST
However, unlike other novels set at various points in twentieth century American history that shy away from portraying the ugly side, or, alternatively, allow their protagonists to participate in that ugly side since it was “a different time,” Jonas is noble and has a progressive attitude toward matters such as race and disability.
The heartwarming story of the Golden Boy returning home could end there, but unbeknownst to Jonas, he has left a progeny elsewhere during his wartime travels. The amazing circumstances that allow the branches of this family tree to grow back together are the stuff of legend, and that story is the foundation upon which A Better Place is built.
Thematically this novel also relies on the common thread between every story, every pitfall faced by a member of the Hensen clan, that one can always do the right thing, even if nobody expects him to and especially in the face of certain failure.
AN EPIC DRAMA GROUNDED IN REAL HISTORY
Steven M. Forman has not built a utopia in this novel; he’s rebuilt decades of history in our real world, particularly our real America, and set loose an idealistic bunch of characters with a grand set of values instilled in them, all committed to making their world a better place.
You will laugh and cry with these characters; their failures will be your failures and their triumphs will resonate too. This novel is a monumental achievement from an author non-crime readers might not yet be familiar with. I never wanted the Hensen family’s story to end and neither will you.
A Better Place is now available for purchase. Visit Steven Forman’s BookTrib author profile page and read our interview with him in our Author Spotlight.
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