Nowle's Passing

by Edith Forbes

A third of Vermont's farms are being squeezed out of business, and enigmatic farmer Vernon Nowle is found shot dead. The police assume the fatal wound was self-inflicted, but was it really suicide? Rooted in the austere beauty of New England, Nowle's Passing unravels its mystery and characters with dazzling skill and genuine heart.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery

272 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1996

Reviews

[AJ Nolan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful dark yet light novel. This book has say on my to be read shelf for years and I’m so glad I finally got around to reading it. It is a taught family drama tied up with land, stewardship, love, and identity. Not perfect and not a book for everyone, but I loved it.

[Sadie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though set in modern day, this book reminded me a great deal Ethan Fromme. The stark but beautiful New England landscape was a character in this novel. I was challenged to think about what in life is really important and how parents exert control in the lives of their children in unexpected ways. A Good Read.

[bob walenski · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Georgia O'Keefe painting of the barns was a perfect cover choice, for a story about a Vermont farmer's death. It symbolizes the well cared for and tendered life of a meticulous farmer, amid the stoic and taciturn New England coldness and changing seasons. Vernon Nowle's life was full of order, an undying love for nature and animals and on the surface a solid family of a wife and three children.
Vernon's death, believed to be suicide, is the focus of a week long glimpse into the characters of the story. Vincie, her husband Gifford, and brothers Chad and Darrell are left with the jagged pieces of Vernon's death. His wife Phoebe had died less than a year before. The events of the story open up all the details and secrets of a family that has never really seen itself so clearly as during this week.
The book was rich in character development, in a depth few other novelists even try to elicit. A history and a present are brought into clear focus, with all of the reasons, causes and excuses people use to act or cover their acts. Was it suicide...or murder????? Which sibling is responsible????
This is a taut, psychological thriller with deep implications for us all.
If you're looking for action or lots of plot twists and turns, this is NOT the book for you. If you really want to get inside several characters who are interesting, noble, flawed and totally human then this story rings with warmth and love and pain.

[Dianne Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect lovely cover, and great title.
There is much to ponder in this calm novel, that felt to me only secondarily a thriller. Immediately I felt at home with the writing and characters, and never lost interest.
After closing the back cover, I am left with all "the feels". This book will stay with me because this stoic, repressed, yet loving, family feels deeply familiar. There can only be a semblance of closure in life, and we all have to learn to live and accept uncertainties, regrets, and shaky hopes...and to trust in the love we know is there, even if it is often convoluted and in and out of the shadows. Some things just are, and cannot be changed.
I know it was set in Vermont, but it had vibes of the Midwest, with which I am more familiar.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much telling instead of showing the characters and most of the characters never quite came together for me. They felt like a bunch of details that I couldn't integrate into a full picture of a person.

[Darien Torres · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story and a true testament to the strength of love no matter what obstacles it faces. Good rainy day read!