cover image The Constellations

The Constellations

Kevin Cunningham. Northern Illinois Univ./Switchgrass, $16.95 trade paper (220p) ISBN 978-0-87580-683-9

Since the death of his wife, Roy Conlon has struggled not only to survive financially in post-Watergate rural Illinois but also to bond with his children, eight-year-old Eric, who by rural Dekalb County standards is special for his determined appreciation of astronomy, and his younger sister, Cammy, taking special education classes because of problems during her birth. Despite loving aid from Roy’s doting aunts and uncles, trouble scratches Roy’s desperate itch when his sketchy construction buddy, Carl Dombey, offers to bring him in on his plan to steal museum-quality coins. Between attempts at connecting with his growing kids and visits to the bed of a married woman whose insights like “denying what you are takes a lot of energy away from living” don’t assuage the guilt, Roy’s involvement with the coins turns treacherous when his son discovers the stolen stash, forcing a tough moral decision. In this debut novel, Cunningham writes with confidence, employing a spare, straightforward style that conveys the story with fluid minimalism. The author’s talent for quiet, meditative character studies is on full display in this slim slice of smalltown life. (Nov.)