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SYNOPSIS:
It’s 1952. The switchboard operators in Wooster, Ohio, love nothing more than to snoop on their neighbours' conversations, and gossip about what they learn. Vivian Dalton is no different (despite her teenage daughter’s disapproval), and always longs to hear something more outrageous than the monotonous discussions about quilting and makeup tips.
But on the night of December 15th, she wishes she hadn’t listened in on Betty Miller’s call with an unknown stranger because what Vivian hears rips the rug of her life out from under her. Vivian may be mortified, but she’s determined to find out who the unfamiliar voice belongs to, and why they are trying to ruin her life. And the thing about small towns is, one secret tends to lead to another ...
THE OPERATOR vividly captures small town dynamics as it takes us down Vivian's rocky path towards reinvention and compassion. In this moving, heart-felt and uplifting narrative, unexpected friendships, family tensions and a marriage shaped by secrets are brought brilliantly to life, in an utterly satisfying read from a dazzling new writer.
Perfect for readers of Kathryn Stockett's The Help, Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life of Bees and Anne Tyler's Clock Dance.
My Thoughts:
This was a gentle read about the lives of a small community, set in the 1950s, which I couldn't get enough of.
Vivian, one of the local switchboard operators, enjoys listening in to the calls made from the people in her community. Therefore she knows all the local gossip and goings-on. I love the concept of this, I mean who would find it hard not to listen in on other people's conversations? However, one evening Vivian hears a piece of gossip about her own life and this throws her world upside down. The secret isn't revealed straight away so you are left guessing and turning the pages in anticipation.
The story explores different members in the community and each chapter jumps from one person to the next. The main characters are Vivian and Betty, the Major's daughter. I did enjoy how the chapters were distributed between the different characters although it took me a while to get my head around who was who and their connection to one another. The story surrounding the bank embezzlement was interesting but I couldn't see how it 'fit' until right towards the end. When this became clear I thought it was very clever and added a new dimension to the novel.
I became slightly frustrated at the 'secret' centred around Vivian purely because there was no direct dialogue between her and her husband. I expected, and wanted, a confrontation and answers which we never got. However, at the end I accepted that that was just the way Edward was; "He'd never been a big talker...", and I actually felt sympathy towards him.
I absolutely adored the front cover and would pick it up and buy it in a book shop for that reason alone. The novel is an easy read and takes you right back to America in the 1950s. It was humorous in places, had bonus recipes which added to the charm and evoked nostalgia.
Many thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for organising and inviting me to join The Operator blog tour and to Headline Review.
AUTHOR:
Gretchen Berg grew up in the US Midwest and now lives in Oregon. She has always been curious about history and family dynamics, and has a personal family tree of over 16,000 people. Her family research started with her own grandmother’s little brown notebook full of details, and it was the story of her grandmother – herself a switchboard operator in Wooster, Ohio, in the 1950’s – that inspired this book and partly provides an authenticity to the narrative.
THE OPERATOR is her astonishingly accomplished first novel with a vibrant narrative full of brilliantly portrayed characters, surprise plot twists, and a deftly handled exploration of the issues of class and race relations in 1950’s America.
Photo taken by Ann Schluter Kowaliczko.