Arnold Falls

I saw great reviews for Arnold Falls on book review services like BlueInk Review and Reedsy Discovery and thought I'd give this novel a try. The last few books I read were great but heavy, so a comedic novel sounded just about right. Arnold Falls is a funny book, for sure.

From the publisher: Spend time in the funny, oddball village of Arnold Falls, where larger-than-life characters deal with the smallest of problems. Somehow, it all comes out right in the end. Arnold Falls is a novel that tips its hat to Armistead Maupin and P. G. Wodehouse, creating a world in which food, music, friendship, love, and tending your own garden are connected in surprising ways.

Main character Jeebie is the glue between all the characters. He's a voice over artist who moved to Arnold Falls with his boyfriend, but the boyfriend quickly departs and leaves Jeebie behind. Jeebie finds himself in a number of community hijinks and misadventures, all amusing.

But the town itself really is the main character. The narration of the novel is brisk and charming. The dialog between the townsfolk is amusing and rapid fire, a bit like a TV comedy show firing on all cylinders ala Parks and Recreation mixed with Northern Exposure. There isn't a lot of exposition to bog down the whimsical story. Many hilarious tidbits about Arnold Fall's history is told, like the origin of the quirky holiday Hail Pail Day or the mostly unaltered interior of The Chicken Shack, the longstanding diner and favorite town hangout.

Unfortunately, once the litany of characters are introduced, there isn't a lot of character descriptions either as the story barrels on. So when many characters are introduced later, only their dialog or actions describe them, but none of their physical characteristics or mannerisms are given. For instance, when Jeebie's parents meet him and Nelle for dinner at Pumphrey's, no physical descriptions of the parents are given at all. The only thing said is the mother likes to paint (she's talented) and the father still thinks he's an ad exec from the 1950s (but he's a decent guy). Are they thin or plump? Tall or short? Nervous or confident? Well-dressed or shlubs? Who knows.

This lack of character description is an unfortunate oversight in an otherwise funny and endearing ensemble piece. I'm keeping my eye out for Suisman's next novel. I'd give this novel 4 out of 5 stars.