cover image The History of Now

The History of Now

Daniel M. Klein, . . Permanent, $28 (0pp) ISBN 978-1-57962-181-0

Klein (Aristotle and an Aardvark Go to Washington ) crafts a charming philosophical lesson in this story of destiny and history colliding in a fictional New England town. Wendell deVries, a solitary man with a “dog-like dedication to familiarity,” operates the projection booth inside the Phoenix theater in Grandville, Mass., founded by his grandparents. He shows movies for New York “second-homers” and locals, except on Tuesdays, when his 37-year-old daughter, Franny, conducts drama club meetings. When Franny's set design is criticized by Babs Dowd, a well-known New York designer who challenges Franny's role as drama leader, Franny's life spins out of control and she lands in the sanitarium. Reluctantly agreeing to a buyout from Babs in order to take care of his family, Wendell must leave his insular world in the projection booth and face the real world. All the while, Franny's daughter, Lila, struggles to find her niche in high school. Blending the present-day story with tidbits from Grandville history, Klein brings the town vividly to life. As the drama unfolds, the actors remind us that destiny is writ in history. (Mar.)