The Rope Walk

by: Carrie Brown

Published by: Anchor Books

Reviewed by Diane Keyes

Like a gourmet meal at a five-star restaurant, The Rope Walk, by Carrie Brown, delights the senses from appetizer to dessert. A total sensory experience, it’s seasoned with just the right metaphors, it evokes both the sweet and savory memories of childhood, and is filled with the richest characters.

I love this book. So deep is its spell, I found it difficult to keep it located in time. Even though it is set in today’s small-town Vermont, I literally kept forgetting it wasn’t talking about a different time—a different place. It’s so ethereal, so timeless, so completely its own world.

And I’m not completely sure it really isn’t its own world. “On her windowsill, Alice waited, watching. The full energy of the day, like a parade assembling its drums and cymbals and marching players, lay just out of sight, gathering strength at the of the world. Any moment now, the day’s brimming cup would spill over the far treetops and flood the hour with light.” That sounds like a creation story to me.

The Rope Walk tells the story of the relationship between a white, ten-year-old small-town girl, Alice, and Theo, a young black boy from the big city. Thrown together by his grandmother’s illness, Theo comes to live with her family for the summer. With all the spontaneity and innocence of childhood, the two children find adventure, intimacy, solace and heartache as they delicately walk the line between their own world and the adult world that surrounds them.

If you only have a short time to visit this new world, do not pick up The Rope Walk, choose a magazine instead. This book is a feast and deserves the ambiance of a five-star restaurant rather than a fast-food drive through.

Armchair Interviews says: Powerful storytelling to touch your heart.