Welcome to the Pine Away Motel and Cabins

September 2, 2019
Bivald (The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend) delves into what’s important in life in this bittersweet tale about life after death. Henny Broek, the novel’s narrator, is only in her 30s when she’s accidentally killed by a passing truck, but she’s not ready to leave those in her life behind­—so she moves invisibly through places, and observes interactions. Her lifelong best friend, an audacious lesbian named McKenzie, is running the motel where Henny worked her entire adult life. The other two friends from their teenage quartet have come back to the small town of Pine Creek, Ore., for Henny’s funeral, and they’re staying at the motel. Michael was the love of Henny’s life, but he’d been traveling the world as a successful geologist. Camila, who inherited the motel and had been gone since she went to L.A. after high school to make the transgender transition to her proper female self. Henny hangs out with all of them, trying to interact with them but not seeming to get through, struggling to discover how she can move on. Although her friends are bereaved, they somehow become invigorated by the loss, whether it’s Michael helping his brother get his life on track or all of them painting a pride flag on the high school. In a story about the lives a single person can touch, the highlight is fittingly Bivald’s memorable characterizations, as she makes each person and their needs distinct and complex. This is a winning novel about the lasting impact of love. (Jan.)This review has been updated to reflect the book's new title.

October 15, 2019
After her death, a friendly ghost watches over best friends at the no-frills Oregon motel where she used to work. Henny Broek has just reunited with Michael, her high school sweetheart, when a truck driver accidentally runs her over. She leaves behind her co-worker, MacKenzie; her stoic father; and the patrons of the Pine Creek Motel. Soon news of her death summons the motel's absentee owner, Camila, a trans woman who left town before her transition. With her soul in limbo, Henny waits silently for her friends to enjoy their reunion and be happy. But first, they'll have to address the small-town politics that drove their group apart. In high school, when MacKenzie came out as gay, her friends rallied to stop an anti-gay ballot measure from passing. From there, the group split in two. MacKenzie stayed at the motel, encouraged by the community support. But Camila left to reinvent herself in LA, and Michael moved away to pursue a career as a geologist in rockier locations, breaking Henny's heart. Just when they've all begun to heal from their grief over Henny's death, a Christian organization stages a protest to shut down the motel over morality concerns. As the motel fills with misplaced townspeople divided by the controversy, it becomes a sanctuary for some and a scapegoat for others. The protest looks bigger online than it does in person, adding a touch of realism. As hatred threatens her otherwise idyllic town, Henny watches from beyond, hoping to see evidence of love after life. A celebration of life in which friendship, community, and a room for the night are gentle antidotes to prejudice.

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November 1, 2019
After being hit by a truck outside of the motel she ran with her best friend, Henny Broek realizes that there must be a reason her spirit is sticking around Pine Creek, where she lived her whole, admittedly short, life. Invisible to those around her, she attends her own funeral, watches her friends and family grieve, and witnesses the people she loves most of all begin to pick up the pieces of their lives after her sudden departure. Embedded in small-town Oregon, Bivald's (The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend, 2016) second novel is full of the sorts of characters that loyal readers of Mary Alice Monroe and Richard Russo will adore. This cozy, never-maudlin exploration of life after death lets Henny see long-lost friends reunite, and feel the heartbreak of new love from a world just out of reach. Much like its heroine, Bivald's charming, heartwarming, and thought-provoking novel will linger long after the last page is turned.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)