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On Tripoli Circle Aggie’s world is defined by the length and breadth of Tripoli Circle, with its sturdy houses and solid families who have willingly given their sons to one war and then another and then another. Aggie’s father, Daniel, is a hero. Five years after coming home from World War II, he is still drowning in its memories. The more fragile he becomes, the more Sara, Aggie’s mother, is desperate to create a safe haven for their four children. To distract them from Daniel’s bizarre behavior, Sara weaves such comical, outlandish tales that her children are hard-pressed to distinguish the real from the imagined. When the body of a neighbor is discovered in the house across the street, it is like unearthing the end of a string they are powerless to refrain from pulling until little by little it is impossible for any of them—Sara, Daniel, Aggie, the whole of Tripoli Circle—to ignore the shattering truth. A tale of war’s aftermath and the toll it takes–as relevant today as it was those many years ago. **** Praise for On Tripoli Circle “….The reader lives on Tripoli circle and in the confines of a German POW camp. The harsh toll of war. The sweet strength of an American neighborhood. Two divergent narratives blended into one absorbing read.” - Lake Martin Living Magazine Scroll down to see author comments about the making of this story. |
The Making of the Story
This book came from the box you see below. The handwriting on the front is my grandmother's, so of course no one was willing to pitch a box with that admonition on it ("Jonnie's letters, do not destroy"). After all, he had been her youngest child, killed in World War ll. It sat, unopened, on a shelf in my grandmother's house for over 20 years until she died and then in a closet in my mother's house 20 or so more years until she passed away. I inherited it and left it on a shelf in my office for years, until one day ..... I opened it. The last letter in this series was the springboard for On Tripoli Circle.