The Town Crazy

by Suzzy Roche

The Town Crazy is set in the sleepy town of Hanzloo, Pennsylvania, a suburban Catholic community in 1961. A single father moves into town with his young son, which arouses suspicion from the husbands and the interest of the wives, but at the same time, one of the wives seems to be losing her mind, and no one knows what to do. A contemporary, often humorous take on a bygone era, The Town Crazy also delves into the terror and cruelty of childhood, the dangerous loneliness of failing marriages, sexual repression and desire, and the intersection of art and religion, all culminating in a tragedy for which everyone in the town bears some responsibility.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Marriage

276 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 25, 2020

Reviews

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is 1961 in the Catholic community of Hanzloo in Pennsylvania. All the moms are enjoying their last days of freedom before school starts. All except one, Alice's mom Lil, who is having some kind of breakdown. She is a matter of discussion or gossip, if you will. Clarissa is the lead gossiper and the one that the other mother's try to emulate. Always put together, her twin girls always dressed to the T, her house immaculate. You know the type, mean girl personified.

Things will go from fairly timid, to outright tragic as we get a closer look at the inside of these people. We know how looks can be deceiving. I related to this story in unexpected ways. The atmosphere of the early sixties was spot on, and those who have gone to Catholic school or raised catholic, will identify. Sister Annunciate is the Mother Superior, and it was the same named sister who was the Superior of the Catholic School I attended. This one was much nicer. There was also a Father Aloysius, which was the name of the school I attended. Love these book coincidences.

The story is well told, a story filled with hypocrisy, innocence and sorrow. Life had such a different feel then. It is also a novel of parents, mothers and their children. The terror and bullying of childhood, the blindness of parents towards their own children, and passions for something that goes unfulfilled. Secrets and sin. Guilt and depression. Quite interesting to get a peek back at this bygone time, when things seemed simpler but often wasn't.

ARC from Gibson House Press

[Cheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s a hot, sticky Sunday morning in August of 1961, in this small, quiet, largely Catholic suburban setting in Pennsylvania, when this story begins as worshippers are inside Immaculate Conception, fanning themselves with church leaflets in a desperate attempt to cool off.

But Jim O’Brien isn’t there, hasn’t been to church in a while. He’s out for a drive with his daughter, Alice, when he sees the newcomer, Luke Spoon out with his son Felix, who Alice knows from school. Of course he’s heard about Luke Spoon, word gets around in a small, small town, as the song goes, and since it’s only a father and son that moved there, and Luke’s a handsome man, he appears to be available. This alone stirs suspicious minds among the husbands, and stirs the passion-filled thoughts of a few of the wives.

At their school, Felix tries to befriend Alice, who doesn’t quite seem to fit in with the other children. Alice has her own problems at home, with a mother who seems to all to have been lost in a fog of depression for months, while Alice spends her energy trying to fend for herself at home, and not say or do anything that will upset her parents. Including telling them that the twins at school continue to torment her.

While there is the aura of the innocence of the times, the refusal to see things as they truly are for fear of what may come to pass if one recognizes, or, worse still, dares to talk about those things, it doesn’t prevent the visitation of heartbreak or tragic events. It doesn’t prevent the loneliness of not being seen, or the fears and the cruelty of childhood. There’s an element of this that reminded me of Big Little Lies, the women who exclude others, the hidden secrets, the “queen bee” attitude, sexual tension, and a tragedy that occurs which involves them all. The difference being that as much as I enjoyed that story, I loved this one more.

I loved the balance of the softly shared clever charm in the writing alongside the compassionate view on overwhelming sorrow, and feeling alone with unspeakable grief. I love it when a book like this comes along, and I feel so completely spellbound by the writing and the story that I don’t want to put it down. This story, these words will continue to stay in my thoughts for some time, in the best way possible.


Published: 1 Sept 2020

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Gibson House Press and Edelweiss

[Scottsdale Public Library]

The Town Crazy by Suzzy Roche is a beautiful and poignant novel about a small town and the people who live there.

Set in 1961, it deals with guilt, desires, mental illness and abandonment. It beautifully touches on difficult issues including marriage and the challenges of family and childhood. The small town of Hanzloo, Pennsylvania is home to several characters whose lives all intersect in interesting and tragic ways. There is Clarisse whose family is well off and who sees herself as the voice of her small community. Lil, who seems to be having a nervous breakdown of some sort and her daughter Alice, and the mysterious Luke Spoon and his son Felix. Felix and Alice are both loners with no friends and gravitate to one another. Clarisse tries to help Lil while at the same time fighting her attraction to Luke.

The novel carefully touches on the influence of the Catholic Church, women's rights, family and expectations of the time. The characters are well developed and the pace is just what it should be. All of these people will end up being drawn together until tragedy strikes and stuns this community. It is a sparse yet well done novel whose characters will remain in your thoughts long after finishing it.

Sad, funny and wise, I highly recommend it. -Jennifer C.

[Annestone · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't remember the last time I just ate up a whole book on a Saturday, following the lure of its treasures back each time I had put it down and told myself to make it last. I think it was TELL THE WOLVES I'M HOME. The delicate pains and foibles of these people, the humor and specificity, the uncanny ordinariness of the situations and decisions they inhabit and make, all made me feel seen and of a piece.

I hate reviews with plot summaries so, suffice it to say, if you love Suzzy's songs, you'll love the tale she spins here and relish each crack it opens up in your heart. No superpowers or dystopian vistas, just a tender map of a group of human hearts. Loads of Catholicism, so be aware of that in case of existing trauma. The nuns here are quirky but not transgressive.

Really loved this book, and am tickled to have a new facet of genius from a real-life family I'm grateful to have grown up admiring.

Well done, Suzzy Roche.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book, but 1961 was a bit early for a Jackie O reference 😊

[Lucy P Bishop · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been a fan of Suzzy Roche and her sisters for more than 40 years, and I really enjoyed her first book, Wayward Saints. I had high expectations for The Town Crazy, and it delivered, and then some! I read it in two sittings and was then annoyed with myself for not taking more time to savor it. I guess a re-read will be in order soon. Her empathy for her characters is so strong. The tragedy mentioned on the back cover is gut wrenching, but I was left at the the end with a sense of healing. And a wish that I'd known a Sister Annunciata when I was growing up. My only regret is that my mother is not alive so I could share The Town Crazy with her.

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book - loved the pacing.

[Mario’s Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Town Crazy by Suzzy Roche
Rate 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Town Crazy is delivering an interesting story with gossip,sadness, cruelty toward children, loneliness, and some humour.

The small town is hiding many secrets. The author delivers characters differently, and she expertly describes each person. I felt that the author Suzzy Roche knew every person from the book personally. Because the details in the book are incredibly good. The balance that she put between characters is unspeakable, and the story felt real to me. The people in The Town Crazy are portrayed differently and they are playing good roles for their own life’s in society and they are trying to provide the best things for their own family.

The book reminds me a little bit of the TV Show Desperate Housewives. Only because of how they struggle with their lives, how they gossiping, how they have grief for things that they did, love, sadness, adultery and the huge tragedy that I didn’t expect at all, which involves them all.

One thing that reminds me of my childhood is how Felix is drawing on the wall inside the house. And I remember how my father was so calm with me and my siblings drawing on the walls in our house. Like trees, houses, animals and many more things.

Finishing the book got me thinking and questioning some aspects of the book. I gathered my thoughts and naturally, I answered. Everything that happened is because of God’s Cave. (When you read the book you will know what I mean by this)
People are assuming that most people are more bad than good. I, He, She, We need to give people a chance. You can’t stand and wait for people to make mistakes and then retaliate against them.

The story is excellent, I am speechless, and the story will stay with me for some time.
I am recommending this book to everyone! 📚

[morallyblackchaos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Review
4.5/5
The Town Crazy by Suzzy Roche

“… because we knew that God and the devil were friends, in the same way that night was just the other side of day, and sometimes boys were girls, and people were dogs or cats, and living was a dream.”

This novel was such a dream boat. I absolutely adored it. Set in 1961 in the small, Catholic community of Hanzloo, Pennsylvania, this book will pull you in from the very start and keep you held tight the whole way through.

I related to Lil (one of the main characters) so, so much. It’s scary, because I would’ve been her in this time period. You’re depressed, having a mental breakdown… And your husband shoves all kinds of pills down your throat to fix you. All she needed was to be off the meds and allowed time to find herself.

Looking into the lives of the people living in Hanzloo was shocking, eye-opening, and at times jaw-dropping. Sister A. was an absolute gem to add to this cast of characters, too.

This novel was filled with love, innocence, sadness, hypocrisy, parents, mothers, fathers, and children. Secrets and sin swirl around you as you read, and you get a delicious taste of depression and guilt as well. All of this comes together to form a tragedy that involves everyone in the town.

What an amazing look back to 1961, one that had me completely spellbound. This novel will stay with me for a long, long time, and for that I am eternally grateful. This had tinges of Seventh Heaven by Alice Hoffman, which I also thoroughly enjoyed.

So many love, thanks, and gratitude to Edelweiss, the publisher, and the author for providing me with an ARC of this amazing title.

[Gilion Dumas · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Town Crazy is set in Hanzloo, Pennsylvania, a suburban Catholic community in Pennsylvania in 1961, when a single father moves to town with his son Felix. The dads are suspicious, most of the moms are smitten, and Lil O'Brien, one of the town moms, seems to be losing her mind. Felix befriends his classmate, Lil's daughter Alice, but when the town busybody jumps to a conclusion of misbehavior, tragedy follows. Meanwhile, Lil's bottled-up secret is leading to greater emotional collapse. This character-driven, captivating story will keep you engaged from cover to cover.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this romp of a book. The quirky cast of characters includes a one-eyed nun, an escaped poet, and bullied children. Set four decades ago in a Catholic town in Pennsylvania, the theme of insider/outsider and the damage that can result is still fresh and all too relevant. Roche manages to take the reader on a roller-coaster ride with both humor and insight.

[Kim Skwira hoffmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! There were a lot of surprises in it. I'd like it if there was a sequel which focuses on Felix's family and his dad's art. I want to know more about the art he created with the photo of Felix and Alice.

[Aislynn Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is like a slice of life from the early 1960s in a small catholic town. I enjoyed this quick read and the contrasting POV between the children and adults as the characters struggled with life, depression, and religion

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Often disturbing, always intriguing. A story of a town. And how everyone deals with their own sense of value and crazy.

[Zakira Khatri · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am very unsure of the message the author intendes to convey via "The Town Crazy" because the following are what she explicitly expressed:

1. It is absolutely fine to abort a baby because you are whimsically unattached to your husband and are dissatisfied with your current state of affairs since you are stuck on this dream of becoming a poet in New York City.
After aborting the said baby, it is also alright to fall into "depression" and not take care of an already existing child that you have, leading to someone else (read: manipulative, shrewd, jealous, cunning neighbour) taking your child in their house. An act that will ultimately lead to the death of this child.
It is, then, acceptable to shed a few tears for this dead child, but now suddenly you seem to be getting over your "depression" and have begun to take care of your house and of your husband whom you still are not attracted to but realise that you see, and here I directly quote, "everything in him, all there was and what might ever be. Within him was her universe of dead feelings, of sorrow and of loss. He was the one who cared if she lived or died."
So now you move away from the place where you, yes you and not your neighbour, caused the death of your innocent child. Because out of sight, out of mind, right?

2. The second message was the hardest to digest. According to what the author writes, it is really okay to cheat on your spouse/partner, have a child as a result of this affair, and pass this child along as a fruit of your marriage. I mean WHAT!

I am dejected that I wasted my time reading this bullcrap. I wouldn't recommend it to even my enemies.

[Peter Swanson · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me longer to feel engaged with this story than it did with Wayward Saints, but I did eventually. Many people in the town of Hanzloo are nucking futz, so choosing the specific "Town Crazy" would be nearly impossible. There is humor mixed in with the drama caused by unfounded motives, so don't despair. I did develop considerable empathy for a girl, a boy, and a one-eyed nun. I won't be more specific, in order to avoid spoiling other readers' perceptions.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've just finished this book and I'm quite disappointed that a story with such potential did not get a better telling. There are many key characters, perhaps too many for so short a novel. There's the titular character, Lil, and her daughter Alice; the town busybody Clarisse and her twin girls Dawn and Fawn; Luke and his eccentric son Felix, who have just arrived in Hanzloo, PA, having left New York City, and Sister Anuciata, who is principal at the school that all the children attend. Lil and Clarisse are married, but their husbands linger in the background of the story for the most part.

Through these characters, the author tries to explore some pretty weighty topics: mental illness, abortion, rape, childhood development, and marital infidelity, but does so in a rather truncated, superficial way. None of the characters, and thus, none of the topics were explored deeply enough for me to care about any of them. The characters did things or had things happen to them for seemingly very little reason and almost entirely absent of context. It's like I walked into a movie a half hour after it started and I left a half hour before it ended. It certainly didn't help that the ebook I was reading seemed to cut off the ends of some of the chapters at key moments in the story. A sloppy mistake made by the author and missed by the editor (was this book edited at all?): at the end of Chapter 23, the author references Jackie O. Problem is, the book being set in 1961, she was still Jackie Kennedy. She wasn't Jackie O. until 1968.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the beginning and build-up of the story so promising--the character relationships, the 1960s small town setting and its sometimes dirty, sometimes cruel underbelly--but I didn't feel like it delivered on its promise in the end. Still the character relationships made it an enjoyable read.

[Katie Calahan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was hard to put down! The charaters are very human. I especially liked the kids, Felix and Alice, I found them relatable and realistic. The nun is also a great character. Overall it was a great read.

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't expecting to like this suburban drama so much. The plot had some interesting turns and good character development.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick, fun read. With some pretty serious societal, religious, geographical themes discussed there were also a handful of subtle laugh out loud moments with the characters.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Denise Kruse · Rating 5 out of 5]

A joy to read. Retro 60s story set in a small Catholic community where every character has depth and a little craziness— told with a balance of humor and wisdom.

[Miranda · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of those that you read cause you admire the author's work in another field, and it was decent. Maybe a few too many 'crazy' characters, but suppose that's the point.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Necessary Read

Suzzy Roche is an extraordinary songwriter, musician, and singer. Here, she displays another world class talent, novel writing. Wonderful characters, set in an era once thought of as innocent, but the early 1960s were anything but that. A complex piece, it evokes poignant feelings through gut wrenching narrative twists. Containing wonderful insights, it renders the ordinary into the poetic. It’s a great read and I highly recommend it.

[Alison Caldicott · Rating 3 out of 5]

An absorbing, fast paced novel probing the secrets of a small American town. Lots of richly written and compelling characters, who you feel like you almost know by the end.