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Jul 25, 2018gogo12127 rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
In the heat of a stifling summer in the rust-belt town of Lomath, Pennsylvania, sixteen-year-old Livy Markos babysits, hangs out with her best friend, Nelson, and waits for a bigger life to begin. Her lazy summer is quickly disrupted when the electricity is cut off, and bridges are closed by the police and FBI agents. A fugitive from the Republic of Georgia, on the run from an extradition order, has taken refuge in nearby hills, and no one is able to leave or enter Lomath until he is found. As the police fail to find the wanted man, and hours stretch into days, the citizens of Lomath begin to buckle under the strain. Like Russian dolls, each hostage seems to be harboring a captive of his or her own. Even Livy's parents may have something to conceal, and Livy must learn that the source of danger is not always what It appears to be. (Rosalie Knecht is a social worker and translator in New York City. She was born and raised in Pennsylvania. Relief Map is her first novel.) (Edited description taken from the publisher description of the paperback edition, as is the edited author biography.) At the end of the text the publisher poses several “Book Club Questions.” Some of the more interesting ones, in my own words, follow. Whom do you think of as the antagonist in this novel? The fugitive? The townspeople? Law enforcement? Or someone/thing else entirely? (I don't think the fugitive is the antagonist. I think he's caught up in the events. If anything, he's the innocent victim. I do think the townspeople and law enforcement share equal responsibility for the events that unfold. I also think that the licentiousness of small town life is a factor, as well.) What sort of ending do you imagine for the fugitive? I think he's going to make it. (He's hard working and industrious and with a sort of Greta Garbo wish to life.) What were you expecting from Livy and Nelson's relationship? How do you think Knecht balances the intense friendship and the budding romance? (I think one of the great things about this novel is the way the author handles this. Two long-time, close friends develop feelings that they hadn't expected and the uncertainties seem to weigh on both of them. Rosalie Knecht, judging from the profile portrait of her on the paperback cover, doesn't seem that far removed from the age of Livy and Nelson, which probably makes that relationship seem so real.) Which story of a citizen of Lomath would you like to know more about? Why? (I'd like to know more about Livy's parents, because they seem like flower children from the sixties; however, her parents probably are in their thirties or forties, but if they were flower children they probably would be in their sixties or seventies. I'd also like know more about Nelson's mother, because she seems so weird. Most of all, though, I'd like to more about Livy, because she seems such a neat person. For that reason, I think women, particularly would like this book.) I decided to read Relief Map after seeing a review of her second book, Who is Vera Kelly?, which came out in June 2018. After reading Relief Map, I definitely plan to read this second book, because Relief Map is a thought-provoking, superbly written coming-of-age story.