Tina’s Pick
October, 2026
Buckeye
Patrick Ryan
Random House, September 2, 2025
One unexpected, innocent kiss changed the direction of two separate marriages and their families forever.
As the title implies, the story takes place in Ohio and spans a 60-year period from pre-World War II to around the year 2000. We are introduced to the four main characters, Felix and Margaret, and Cal and Becky. Two separate families that have never met but live in the same small town, whose lives with be forever entangled.
Flashbacks from the four main characters’ lives lend a hand in assisting the reader to grasp a better understanding of them. We see hidden secrets and insecurities of each character and the consequences that evolve. There are also many historical references in the storyline to set the stage.
One husband (Felix) joins the Navy while the other husband’s (Cal) disability from birth will disqualify him from serving. Being rejected by the military has a deep impact on Cal, it was everything to him. His marriage is a failure and now he sees himself as a failure. Until a chance encounter with one of the most gorgeous women, he has ever met kisses him (and he likes it) in a moment of sheer excitement from news of the war ending. From that moment forward all sorts of secrets and complications evolve. Their lives will change forever.
This story deals with so many emotions from searching for love, finding love, nurturing love and then dealing with the outcome from an adulterous encounter to the consequences of those actions. It also deals with how you feel from releasing the burden of no longer carrying your guilt. It’s hard to keep secrets, especially in a small town, and expect them to be buried forever.