The Traveler

The Traveler Book on CD by Ron McLarty read by the author (a plus, in my opinion, for a first person narrative)

When Jono Riley - middle aged New Yorker bartender/sometime actor - learns that his childhood friend Marie has died, he returns to the neighborhood in Providence where he grew up. Jono, the “traveler”, moves not only in space, but also back in time. The nostalgic flashbacks to street life in a working class Irish/Italian/Portuguese neighborhood of the 1960s are wonderful. The depiction of the friendship of the four boys and Marie - as well as their relationships with their enemies/rivals/parents - is perfect – as is the dialogue. All the things that make growing up great and terrible are portrayed splendidly.

Jono becomes involved in trying to solve the old mystery of who shot Marie many years ago (her death was caused by the bullet – which doctors weren’t able to remove – finally “traveling” to her heart). He reconnects with old friends – and old enemies, as his spontaneous investigation bumbles along. He learns more than he wants to know – about the people he loved/hated and about himself, his inability to have a solid commitment.
You really ought to give this a try – as well as McLarty’s The Memory of Running – another terrific tale to which to listen.
JM