Books: “The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store” by James McBride

In 1936, Pottstown, PA—a small town northwest of Philadelphia—felt to some like the center of civilization. It’s also the setting for “The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store,” a comic masterpiece by James McBride.

Pottstown’s citizens included lower-middle-class whites who claim their ancestors came over on the Mayflower (they didn’t); Jews of every description (from German-speaking high-falutins to greenhorns just off the boat); and a sizable number of Blacks, some having emigrated from South Carolina. All these residents are accustomed to crossing paths at a dilapidated grocery store, The Heaven and Earth, which was founded by Moshe, a Jewish immigrant.

Moshe, who also brings big-name musical acts to Pottstown, is married to Shona, a lovable but stern woman with a limp—and plenty of opinions. Particularly strong was her belief that the store should remain in Chicken Hill, the once-Jewish and now mainly Black neighborhood.

The big event driving “Heaven and Earth” is the forcible abduction of a young deaf-and-dumb Black orphan nicknamed Dodo. The white townspeople, led by Doc, an antisemitic Ku Kluxer, are frustrated by their “foreign” neighbors (i.e., Blacks, Jews and ethnics), and are out to get them at every opportunity. Doc believes that because of his condition and his race, Dodo belongs in a hospital called Pennhurst. Unfortunately this place is actually one step down from an insane asylum.

As he demonstrated in “Demon King Kong,” McBride has a gift for capturing the speaking patterns of his characters, be they Blacks from the Low Country of South Carolina or Jews from Romania. The most memorable character for me was Nate, a strong silent type who’d be played by Morgan Freeman should Hollywood ever have the sense to make this into a film.

Is “Heaven and Earth” a John Irving kind of novel? If you count the eccentricities of its characters—with names like Fatty, Big Soap, and Miggy—maybe. But McBride, who IRL is half Jewish and half Black, has a voice that’s closer to Mark Twain. And his intricate plotting and storytelling make spy novels seem weak by comparison. Read it and enjoy.

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