Under The Same Sun

by Sheila Blanchette

What happens in Unity, Connecticut could happen anywhere in America. Under the Same Sun begins at a kitchen table on a school day morning in Unity. The novel paints a picture of a struggling rural town during the year leading up to the 2016 presidential election. A portrait of people familiar to all of us, it tells the story of their desires, disappointments, divisions and, ultimately, the beauty and the frustrations of day-to-day life in America's forgotten places. Leo Heaton is a widowed father who lives with his twin daughters, Emily and Amanda, and his mother-in-law Dori O’Neil. Their lives are interwoven with the townspeople, including an edgy, mysterious high school teacher who is a role model for the Heaton twins. Helen Tremblay has also attracted the attention of their father and they become involved in a secret romance. The cast of characters includes teenage friends, a wealthy prep school boyfriend, an interracial family who own a maple syrup farm, and a Mohegan Indian who hosts parties in his man cave and shares his native wisdom. The citizens of Unity cross paths in chapters set in the simplest of places: the local Dunkin’ Donuts, high school parking lots, auto repair shops and lumberyards, and hiking trails in the Berkshire woods. When an avoidable tragedy occurs, the small town of Unity becomes Every Town America. A place where nothing newsworthy happens and people feel relatively safe.

380 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 27, 2017

About the author

Sheila Blanchette bounced around in various accounting jobs for almost thirty years until she found herself working in a cubicle and on the verge of a nervous breakdown. To keep her sanity, she began working on her first novel, The Reverse Commute, a roman a clef about a woman in a cubicle daydreaming of running a bed and breakfast. Writing saved her life.

After her youngest daughter left for college, she and her husband sold their house in N.H. and moved to Florida where she wrote Take Me Home but like her character Josie Wolcott, she still found herself crunching numbers to pay the bills.

Two years later, in a surprising twist of fate, the Blanchettes landed a job as innkeepers in Northwestern, CT. This may be a case of, If you write it, it will happen. It certainly proves the critics wrong. You are never too old to dream.

Her third novel is Life Is All This, which has been compared to the work of Richard Ford and Alice McDermott.

Ever the wanderer she and her husband now live in Vermont where she writes full-time and blogs about everyday life, road trips, and America as she sees it.

She recently released her fourth novel Under The Same Sun, a story she has wanted to write for quite some time.

Reviews

[Connie Ciampanelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sheila Blanchette’s newest of her four novels, Under the Same Sun, showcases the author’s trademark eye for scenic detail and spot-on dialogue. A story of small-town America set in the year leading up to the most recent Presidential election, Blanchette’s characters are far-from-perfect but are likeable. They are real. They are true. Readers can identify with and relate to the people of Unity as they work and live and love in the days before and in the aftermath of yet another American tragedy that strikes their town specifically but shatters the hearts of all America. An eminently captivating read, "Under the Same Sun" is a must-read about the struggles that middle class America faces every day. A story of our time.

[Betsy Myers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book via Goodreads First Reads. This was a story that will stay with me for quite awhile. It grabbed my attention from the very first page. The characters became people I could picture and relate to other people I know in real life. I was deeply saddened by the ending and how many lives were lost. The message that it could happen anywhere at any time really hit home for me once again. I look forward to reading more from this author.

[Shari Ring Wolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spoiler alert

I'm careful not to include spoilers in my reviews so I'm warning in advance: this book carries a heavy message in favor of gun control. It is a wonderful story depicting loveable characters. Until about halfway through the book I was wishing this was a reality show I could watch, as these characters grew and lived their lives. It was a book with not much of an action plot, but warm, with likeable characters and an up to date feel. If you are in favor of gun control you will love this book. Those who oppose it may feel "the other side" was not represented. I noticed just past the halfway point in the book that the good guys were too good; situations were too idyllic to be real. As with so many books I read nowadays, I was very irritated by misspelled words. An author needs to know how to spell, or hire learned editors. Spell check is not enough. Example: "ring his neck" should be "wring his neck." The writing in this book is exceptional. The spelling and grammar fall short. I've been an avid reader all my life and since I started reading Kindle, I've noticed that good spelling and crammer have been cast aside. I find it jars my reading experience. Also, this book was so heartwarming, then it went too tragic to make a point, which disappointed me and I will assume the author found tragedy necessary to make her point. It did not sway me towards wanting gun control laws. I felt a bit "emotionally blackmailed."

[Nancy Roman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story unfolds with grace and depth. Ms. Blanchette in her previous novels has shown her amazing skill at building a sense of place, and now she has done the same with complex characterization as well. Leo, Helen, Amanda, Emily, Dori - these are all people that we know and understand. This story is of small lives in a small town - this is no big city, Hollywood, rich story. These are the people who live paycheck to paycheck, who worry about the price of eyeglasses and plumbing repairs. But don't think that means 'boring' by any means - real-life issues well-told are refreshing and completely engaging.
The story is timely and political, and sometimes a little heavy on the ideology. But there is a very good reason why I still feel strongly that this book merits a five-star rating: The political and ideological issues that run through every chapter of this book are so different from many of the issue-based fiction out there - because Ms. Blanchette presents characters of ALL political persuasions with empathy and sensitivity and understanding. No one is stupid or wrong - just trying their best to make their difficult lives a bit better. There is a tenderness and compassion for people whose opinions you may not share - which is so rare in these divisive times. And to top it all off - a compelling story. A must-read.

[Stacey Wright Aumock · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Whoa. I’m not sure how I feel. Let me start at the beginning. For the first 80% or so of this book, we get to know the characters of a small town. You learn their quirks, you like some more than others, etc. but they become pretty realistic. You get kind of attached and find yourself rooting for them. Then bam! The ending is crazy, heartbreaking, and caught me off guard. There were signs but I was focused on the characters.

It does cover an important although hotly debated topic. And it also covers the 2016 election, which was rather ominous as we face the current election. It does lean left and I would imagine those who are more conservative wouldn’t appreciate those tones. I would encourage conservatives to try to overlook that / read with an open mind because there are many good messages within these well written pages. One is quite obvious, but it also covers how saturated the news is with horrible stories and how we’re all overwhelmed by social media. It made me think and it will stay with me

[Pamela Minnaugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Believable characters

I enjoyed the interaction between the characters. Beautifully written description of the town and its people was delightful. The underlying message was not for me, however. Blaming responsible firearm owners for the acts of criminals and those who are mentally ill is like classifying all who drive cars as bad drivers because of those who speed, run red lights, don’t stop at stop signs; all of which can end someone’s life. Should cars then be banned?

[marianna nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

With tears in my eyes

This book made me smile, laugh and cry. Recommended it yesterday to a group of "church ladies", who meet for lunch once a week in a local pub in our small town. Came home to learn of yet another school shooting.