The Toll Road North

Synopsis: Dee returns to her hometown of Lewiston, Maine with her son Ari for a college visit. She hasn’t been back in a long time, and seems to have gone to some effort to put some distance between herself and her roots. While grabbing a quick lunch at Luigi’s Pizzeria, they become involved in a hostage situation, and Dee recognizes the young gunman. The novel uses this event as the focal point to explore Dee’s childhood, and the legacy of her childhood trauma. What IS she running from?

Review: The premise of this debut novel is that Dee, after being taken hostage at Luigi’s (and released), makes a decision to reveal her past to her husband, family and friends. It’s portrayed as something very shameful, and certainly, as we gradually hear the story of her childhood, there are betrayals, abandonment, and secret pregnancies. Small town life in the 1960s and 70s is colored by class divisions and misogyny. The book explores the idea that we create our adult persona, and that sometimes those closest to us know us the least. As a Maine resident who lives adjacent to Lewiston, there was a warm familiarity in the cultural background and local color which was well described. Character motivations did feel slightly melodramatic and forced, but overall, this was an impressive debut.

Rating: 3/3

Recipe: Much of the action in the novel takes place at Luigi’s, a local sandwich shop. They are known for the Fergy, which is essentially a ham and cheese sandwich on sliced Italian bread. While it is locally well known and loved, it’s not really recipe worthy. As the name suggests, you can also get Italian favorites at Luigi’s such as pizza or other Italian specialties. I’d probably go for a calzone, pizza on the go! Roll your pizza dough into a circle, add fillings of choice on one half, fold over and tightly crimp the edges. Brush with oil and bake at 475 for about 15 minutes, or until done. You can buy pizza dough, but it’s not hard to make your own.

1 1/4 cups warm water, 105-110 degrees

1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast

1 teaspoon honey

1/2 tablespoon fine sea salt

3 1/3 cups all purpose flour

1) Mix together water, salt and honey. Sprinkle with yeast and set aside 5 minutes then stir.

2) Pour water mixture over your flour and stir to combine, then knead by hand for 2 minutes. Cover and let rise for 4-5 hours at room temperature.

3) Transfer to a floured surface and divide in half. Fold each piece of dough 8 times and form a ball. Transfer to an oiled bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight or up to 7 days. Your dough is done!