The book is largely set in the fictional nowhere town of
Rebel’s Corner, somewhere “north” of Los Angeles. There, a group of people are stuck in a
restaurant waiting for a bus to be repaired so that they may continue their
respective trips. The characters in the
story include Juan (the mechanic) and his wife Alice (they own the restaurant), their
employees and a handful of passengers. When
the bus is finally repaired, they take off during a rainstorm severe enough to
cause flooding and wash out a bridge, stranding them overnight.
Significantly, the story takes place in post-war (World War
II) America, with the cast somewhat exhausted, somewhat hopefully, but all with
still fresh memories of the Great Depression. The interactions between economically well-off
passenger Elliott Pritchard who “was needed on the home-front” and the veterans
in the group are civil, yet intense. The
desperate for love, for finding a place in life, subplots are genuine and
interesting. The characters are
memorable, good and bad, particularly “Pimples,” a teen employee with an inescapable
nickname.
However, that nickname has stumped me. I don’t recall reading this book before, nor
have I seen any of the movies made from it.
Yet, I recall the character Pimples, and as each chapter was read, I
recalled the story, though not until near the end could I remember what would
happen next. My guess is that I did read
this before, many years ago, probably when I was a teen.
My frequent traveling companion and I read this aloud while
on a recent vacation. It reads aloud
perfectly, particularly with (often snarky) editorial comments about each of
the characters by the narrator.
Recommendation: Yes
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