SAW THE FOREST

McConnel presents a literary novel about interconnected characters in a city “in a current state of decline.”

At a city council meeting, the representatives take up the question of how to develop a wooded area within the city limits. The initial plan is to build a Catholic school there, but is a new school in the community’s best interests? A gentleman named Adam Right objects to having the trees cut down; unbeknownst to most others, his connections to the property are extensive. Maryanne Whipple, another city resident, is a 24-year-old veteran who suffered permanent damage to her legs; she finds solace working with Adamat Open Promises, a family-care facility that sits next to the wooded property. Things aren’t always safe for the people in the neighborhood; for example, a local driver proves adept at using their Oldsmobile as a weapon. Meanwhile, someone called “Saw the Forest” is sending odd e-mails to 20-something nun Sister Alana Orrick, who’s involved in the school building project: “Each email pushed-and-pulled in ways that made her feel a bit out of control, a bit like a piece of taffy.” Other players in this character-driven story include curious reporter Ron List and an older man named Ren Ott who likes to teach teenagers how to fix old cars. The result is a multifaceted, complex setup that allows for unexpected developments and some thought-provoking passages. However, readers attempting to keep track of the many interconnected players and their motivations may find the task difficult, especially as the plot has a tendency to wander into digressions. At one point, for example, Ron attempts to ask Adam questions about the proposed development, which doesn’t produce much information that the reader doesn’t already know; the scene immediately transitions to Ren explaining the workings of a carburetor and the narrator musing on how “Life has a way of making indelible steps in the sand of time without the steps being placed in a purposeful way.” Such progressions are typical of the novel, and they result in a work that can feel hazy.

An intricate but often meandering story of urban life.