“Cal Jenkins was born in the spring of 1920 with one leg shorter than the other. Just two inches shorter, but that was enough to make plenty of things difficult. Balancing on a bicycle took twice as long for him to learn as it did for other kids. Track and field was out of the question. So was walking without a pronounced limp.”
Those are the opening lines to Patrick Ryan’s novel Buckeye. Even though his limp makes him somewhat of an outcast, he finds a woman, Becky, to love and marry. Becky has a special gift: she can conjure the dead and pass messages back and forth with their loved ones. Cal doesn’t believe in her gift which causes a rift in their marriage.
At the start of the Second World War, Cal tries to enlist but is rejected because of his limp, making him feel less of a man. There’s another couple in town, Margaret and Felix Salt, who marry more out of convenience than love.
While Felix is gone serving in the Navy for two years, Margaret meets Cal and they have an affair. Nine months after Felix returns, Margaret gives birth to a son, but whose child is he? And Felix has his own secret from his time in the service.
Two years later, Becky also gives birth to a son. The adults keep their secrets for many years even as the two boys become friends. As the book jacket says, “Sweeping yet intimate, rich with piercing observation and the warmth that comes from profound understanding of the human spirit, Buckeye captures the universal longing for love and for goodness.”
If you’re looking for a well-written story about human relationships, particularly in a small town during the second half of the 20th century, then you must read Buckeye by Patrick Ryan.
