November Road by Lou Berney

November Road is set against the backdrop of the JFK assassination. It is a crime novel, it’s a travel story, and it’s a story about people finding themselves. Frank Guidry has spent his entire life surrounded by criminals and is trusted by the New Orleans crime family. Frank was in Dallas shortly before the assassination and now people Frank knows are turning up dead. Frank didn’t get to where he was by being dumb so he knows it’s time to disappear.

When Frank spots a stranded housewife with two daughters in tow along the side of the road, he decides he’s found the perfect disguise. Charlotte is on the run herself. She’s on the run from a small-town life she realizes is stifling and a vision of a future that is all too clear and entirely too depressing. Frank finds in Charlotte a connection he’s not felt before and Charlotte likewise feels a connection she’s not had before. The people hunting Frank aren’t just going to give up and staying together may put them all in danger.

Lou Berney has written a novel that defies easy categorization. The characters are relatable and sympathetic. The mood is electric, nostalgic and dangerous. Traveling across the landscape of an America devastated by tragedy yet still filled with wonder. It is also filled with brutal violence. The characters are resourceful but conflicted with feelings of hopefulness and resignation. Berney perfectly balances the feelings of discovery that Frank and Charlotte find in each other while never letting it become overly sentimental. The pursuit of Frank by the ultraviolent Barone tempers the mood. It also adds a bit of melancholy as Frank discovers the appeal that life as a family man may hold for him just at the moment that it may all be ripped away.

Berney captures the twin edge of people who are both running away from something and towards something. The travel the characters embark on becomes spiritual as well as physical. None of this works without strong characters and Berney absolutely nails that. Charlotte, Frank, the girls and even Barone are all fully realized and will remain etched in your mind long after you finish the story. He wraps up the story with an ending that will run you through a gamut of emotions all over again.

The narration of the audiobook by Jonathan McClain is spot on. His vocal intonation complements the characters and helps convey both the mood and the action. He doesn’t intrude on the story but enhances it. His pace matches what is going on and moves the story along navigating the complex emotional landscape of the characters. Given the setting, it is a near perfect story to listen to while driving. Highly recommended.

I was provided a copy of the book by the publisher.

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