North River A Novel
North River A Novel by Pete Hamill, published by Little, Brown on June 4, 2008, is a reprint edition comprising 368 pages in English. Set against the backdrop of Depression-era New York City in 1934, the narrative follows Dr. James Delaney, a compassionate physician who cares for the city’s marginalized, including gangsters and laborers. Despite his dedication to others, Delaney grapples with emotional numbness stemming from his experiences in World War I and the absence of his wife and daughter.
As the story unfolds, Delaney’s life takes an unexpected turn when his three-year-old grandson arrives at his doorstep, prompting him to hire Rose, a Sicilian woman with her own hidden past. This new dynamic begins to thaw Delaney’s emotional detachment, allowing for themes of family life and personal redemption to emerge. Through vivid depictions of 1930s New York, Hamill explores the complexities of love and hope amidst hardship, inviting readers to witness the gradual healing of a man burdened by loss and the rekindling of familial bonds.
Official synopsis Publisher
From the bestselling author of Forever and Snow in August comes a story of love, family, and regained hope against the backdrop of Depression-era New York City.
It is 1934, and New York City is in the icy grip of the Great Depression. With enormous compassion, Dr. James Delaney tends to his hurt, sick, and poor neighbors, who include gangsters, day laborers, prostitutes, and housewives. If they can’t pay, he treats them anyway.
But in his own life, Delaney is emotionally numb, haunted by the slaughters of the Great War. His only daughter has left for Mexico, and his wife Molly vanished months before, leaving him to wonder if she is alive or dead. Then, on a snowy New Year’s Day, the doctor returns home to find his three-year-old grandson on his doorstep, left by his mother in Delaney’s care. Coping with this unexpected arrival, Delaney hires Rose, a tough, decent Sicilian woman with a secret in her past. Slowly, as Rose and the boy begin to care for the good doctor, the numbness in Delaney begins to melt.
Recreating 1930s New York with the vibrancy and rich detail that are his trademarks, Pete Hamill weaves a story of honor, family, and one man’s simple courage that no reader will soon forget.
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