Corrine

by Greg Venne

Corrine Prevett wants to love somehow. An embrace with her best friend, Kadia, on a hot summer day does not last a lifetime. They both waited through the summer after high school for suitors. A lawyer showed up for Kadia. Thin, one could say too thin, Corrine attracted no one. Perhaps her vigilant and Catholic mother scared suitors away. And it was the times. In the early 20’s, young women waited for suitors. She observes the love that her father, Henri, displays for her mother, Sybylle, despite her predictably dry response. A job as the first librarian for the public library of Twin Pines serves as Corrine’s initiation into adulthood. The chief of police pays attention to her in 15-minute chats, but as a married man, he does not satisfy Corrine’s curiosity about herself and the nature of love. And poor Kadia’s life becomes every reason not to marry. Waiting at the front door, her sister, Helen, greets her return from the library every night. The residents of Twin Pines see the librarian come and go from a square house by the river. Occasionally, Corrine and Helen take a slow and meandering walk to the river. The citizens find no puzzle in Corrine’s life. They honor her after 50 years as the town librarian. Such dedication. But she could write a book about wanting to love.With Corrine, Greg Venne has completedthe Prevett series. Six novels explore afamily’s confrontation with Catholicism andhuman relationships. Self-identity and moralchoice is not clear or precise regardless ofthe creeds. As the second half of the centuryunfolds, a houseful of sisters (maidens itappears by choice) age stoically. Venne’sPrevett series opens the door and lookscloser.

Paperback

Published April 7, 2020