THE LONESOME SHEPHERD

When a submarine sinks during World War II, an American sailor takes it upon himself to look out for the dead men’s families in this novel.

Bob Shields, the narrator’s father, was supposed to be onboard a captured submarine that sank during Navy sea trials in 1943, but he was called away at the last minute. No one survived, and he spent the rest of his life looking out for the wives and children of the 10 men who perished—a combination of virtuous caring and survivor guilt. Over the years—there is much toggling through time—Bob advises the fatherless sons, comforts the mothers, and generally is an exemplary human being. Now, his son, Tom, has come to Port Gloria in the Florida Keys to scatter his father’s ashes in the ocean where the sub sank. But when Tom and the taxi driver get back to the decrepit railway station where he had been dropped off, matters turn very bad indeed. Then Bronzo subjects readers to the mother of all plot twists, which makes the story so topsy-turvy that the audience almost gets two novels for the price of one. The author is a capable writer, but there is often a stiffness and scripted quality to the tale. And Bob is just too straight-shooting and saintly, the perfect Boy Scout. More important, though, are the outrageous plot twists—or, more properly, gimmicks. A cockamamie time-travel theory is invoked—somehow connected to Roswell back in ’47—although readers do get an intriguing discussion about that. Still, it should be noted that Bronzo is so committed to his ending that he relies too much on coincidences. Ultimately, some will react to the author’s manipulations with annoyed disbelief (as President Joe Biden might say, “C’mon man!”) but many readers will find them magical and charming. And there is a final, heartwarming fillip. Bronzo is truly relentless in his surprises.

A captivating, unpredictable tale about a man’s remarkable mission.