Sidetracks: A novella

by Barbara Hacha

In 1931, while riding the rails in the early years of the Great Depression, Maddy Skobel, desperate for food, knocked on the door of a young, pregnant mother's house in Steamburg, New York, and was given a bowl of chili she has never forgotten. In the hobo tradition of working for a handout, Maddy made a drawing of the mother's little girl and promised to return one day to draw the new baby. Now six years have passed and Maddy, troubled by her yet unfulfilled promise, decides to travel from her home in Auburn, New York, to Steamburg to repay the woman's kindness. What should have been a short, uneventful trip quickly turns complicated as Maddy must deal with the consequences of her own mistakes and the turmoil and tragedy created by others.

206 pages, Paperback

Published November 20, 2015

About the author

Barbara Hacha’s historical novel, Line by Line, was published in March 2011. She writes both fiction and nonfiction and is a freelance editor of textbooks in the humanities, computer books, and works of fiction. She is also a photographer who occasionally exhibits in the Cleveland area. She lives in northeast Ohio with her husband, Jim. This is her debut novel.

Reviews

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although time has passed and life has changed for Maddy (LINE BY LINE protagonist), we easily pick up and travel along with Maddy once again as she attempts to revisit a woman to whom she made a promise. A quick and delightful venturesome read. Hope Barbara Hacha keeps channeling her inner hobo and continues writing about the adventures of Maddy!