Perfume River is the story of Sam’s journey to believe in the future while reconciling the past. An engaging short novel, it takes the reader from the shores of the Mississippi to the shores of the Mediterranean and back again. It reveals a cast of characters involved in complex relationships and in the struggle to find happiness in a fragile world.
A struggling young artist, Sam Ellings, drew everyday people doing everyday things: waiting around at the bus stop, at the grocery store, at the bank. Despite the Cold War tensions of the late 1980s, she remained optimistic and balanced her belief that everything would turn out okay with her troubled upbringing in a dysfunctional family. She meets Rexel, a young boy also looking for answers. Their unlikely friendship is the backdrop for a story about anxiety and hope, about believing in the future and reconciling the past, as Sam navigates her way through the Minnesota seasons in search of happiness.
Perfume River is filled with a cast of characters as diverse and compelling as those at the bus stop where Sam likes to sit on the sidewalk and draw. Each character brings something to the table that helps Sam figure out how to move forward and embrace what’s in her heart.