The Unforgiving Town is days away from its April 7 release. For this post, I focus on a key character, Bernie Tucker, who did not appear in the book’s prequel, The Sacred Dog. In this book, Al Kitchen finds an unlikely ally in Bernie. A distant cousin, she is the only one to help Al while everybody in the hill town of Holden rejects him after he is released from prison. But then again, as a gay woman shunned by her own family, she understands what it is like to be an outcast.
Bernie, who is 15 years younger than Al, is from another small town. Al only got to know her when he was in prison. On Al’s first night home, Bernie tells him a story.
“Right after I moved back, I ran into your grandmother outside the store here when I stopped for gas. I hadn’t seen her in years, but I recognized her right away since she hadn’t changed that much. She always looked old to me. At first, Aunt Jenny acted suspicious. She didn’t remember me, but after we talked, she said to come see her, so I did. She told me later I was the first person who was friendly to her in a real long time that she actually trusted.” She paused. “I could tell she needed help, but she wasn’t going to ask for it. I don’t have much family left. I didn’t mind. I only lived in the next town. So, I did what she allowed me to do like giving her rides to the grocery store in the city or to visit you and what needed to be done around here that was too hard for her. Aunt Jenny, that’s what I called her. I really liked that she didn’t take crap from anybody. When I brought her to the store here in town, she wouldn’t put up with people staring. I heard her say one time, ‘What’s the matter with you? You go blind or something?’”
Al laughed with her. Bernie had told this story during one of her visits, but he didn’t mind hearing it again. She was making him feel at home.
When Al’s feisty grandmother, Jenny Kitchen, could no longer drive, Bernie gave her rides to visit him in prison. Jenny left instructions that Bernie was to move into her home the day she died so the place wouldn’t be trashed. Bernie continued to visit Al, which is how he came to trust her. They also share an interest in reading.
She is well aware the guys at the local watering hole, formerly The Sacred Dog and now Brewster’s, figured out they weren’t her type, so they keep their distance.
Bernie does what she can to help Al get settled and hopefully, start a new life after being locked up in prison for 17 years. She takes him to the hardware store to buy paint to fix up the house they share. She lends him her bicycle to go out riding at night since it’s unlikely he will get his license back any time soon.
Bernie sees first-hand how townspeople treat Al, shunning or even confronting him. Once, when Al is waiting in her car outside the general store, she steps in after witnessing Jerry Smith, a townie accompanied by one of his sons, harass Al.
“Was that guy giving you a hard time?” Bernie asked.
“He was tryin’ to, but I wasn’t going to give into it. He’d have to do a better job than that, especially if you’re around,” Al grinned. “Thanks for that.”
Here is the link to The Unforgiving Town, only 99 cents for Kindle and $14.99 for paperback. Here’s the link for The Sacred Dog. Both books stand on their own, but you might like to read both. Thank you for reading and if you are motivated to write a review.