The Broken Key

by Paul Kilgore

What does it mean to start over at age twenty-seven, to move beyond failure and disappointment and begin life again? In returning to his hometown, a historic city perched on the snow-covered shores of Lake Superior, Tom Johnson never suspects that he is being led to a young woman on the cusp of an irrevocable change. Funny and smart, evocative and heart-breaking, The Broken Key asks the questions posed by all memorable stories. What do we expect from life? What do we expect from ourselves? And where does one life end and another begin?

265 pages, Paperback

Published August 22, 2017

About the author

Paul Kilgore is a graduate of Augsburg College and the University of Minnesota Law School. His fiction, nonfiction, and poetry have appeared in numerous publications, including Minnesota Monthly, Prairie Schooner, Minnesota History, and the St. Paul Pioneer Press (where he was featured as a community columnist), and on A Prairie Home Companion. He is a recipient of Minnesota Monthly's Tamarack Award for Short Fiction. Kilgore's short story collection, Losing Camille, was a finalist for the Minnesota Book Award, fiction category. The Minneapolis StarTribune termed Kilgore's work "brilliant . . . some of the best recent fiction by a Minnesota writer

Reviews

[Barbara Senteney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice sweet cozy romantic read. Great for holidays by the fireside. Something to cuddle up to on a cold winters night. Not my favorite genre but a good story , that is well written.

[Erin Hussey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would give this book a 3.5. The story is about a character trying to find his way in adulthood, returning home after seemingly failing at multiple pursuits. It is a tale of searching for an identity, falling in love, failing and getting back up again, going home again, and finding yourself as an adult. I think most people could identify with this story on some level.

[Jennifer Schultz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book at a second hand pack store in Duluth. Since it is a novel that takes place in Duluth I felt like I should buy it. I'm glad I did. It is both a coming of age story and a surprisingly introspective love story. It has a lot of honest observations on the changes that happen in life, both those that happen abruptly and those that happen so slowly they are only noticeable through reflection.
This book does ask your full attention while reading. More than once I had to reread a sentence or paragraph to grasp the meaning. Though I wasn't expecting this, I appreciated the story having an emotional depth that I had to sit with for a minute. Not to mention the descriptions of Duluth in winter made me nostalgic for cold night skies and cross country skiing. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a thought provoking Minnesota read!

[MaryKaye · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow, I had a hard time with this book. The style of writing at times had me confused. Ex: How could you profess love and follow it up with HORSE. Pg. 30. I read it several times and still was confused. Be sure to have your dictionary close by. Words I have never read or would use are throughout the book. Ex: "Somnolent" twilight? There are many more. I really was looking forward to reading this book, as I know the Duluth and Minneapolis area well. Honestly, this was not a book I wanted to hurry and continue reading. I do not like giving two stars, but I received this book from Goodreads free, for a honest opinion, and that's what I am giving you.

[Ryan Mac · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book since it was written by a local Minnesota author. The book follows the story of Tom Johnson, a 27 year old trying to figure out how to grow up, falling in and out of love and what he wants to be when he eventually grows up. I really liked the descriptions of Duluth and Lake Superior but sometimes Tom's internal thoughts got a little long. Still, it was an enjoyable read.

[Emily Galle-From · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Broken Key is a book that stays with you long after the turn of its final page. Tracing the thoughts and decisions of a law school dropout, The Broken Key invites the reader to think about life's most pressing questions: What is one's purpose? How can a person overcome the waves of grief and loss? How are lives interconnected, relationships formed, and memories created? With strong character development, vivid language, and relatable content, Kilgore places you right in the middle of character Tom Johnson's life. You find yourself cheering Tom on, hoping he finds his place in the world.

Being from Duluth, I had high hopes of reading about my hometown. To put simply, Kilgore does not disappoint. His lyrical language put me right back in the wintry Duluth of my childhood: "Lake Superior was unspeakably beautiful, orange sunlight piercing through billowing geysers of steam. The Aerial Bridge, adorned in ice, loomed overhead massively" (63), and, later, "a gust of wind gave a violent rattle to the room's small window, peeking out between snowdrifts" (185), or even the "black trees silhouetted beneath the unfurled stars" (196). Nostalgia runs deep for those familiar with Duluth and will undoubtedly pique interest for those who are not.

The Broken Key is not a book to be missed. It is the perfect book to cozy up with when the wind begins howling outside on these upcoming cold, winter days.