Foodie Lit
Gustaf Berger's The Paperboy and the Spinster
Paperboys usually see only the houses and people on their routes from the outside, tossing their papers at the doors. This is especially true today, when most customers pay by credit card or online.
In The Paperboy and the Spinster, set from 1955-58 in a small town on Long Island, the paperboy must go door to door to collect the subscription money. Much of the story is based on the author’s own newsboy days in a similar town. The setting is what so many consider an idyllic era and place. Yet as Leonard Lewis learns, after three years of delivering papers, “You never know what goes on behind closed doors.” I asked Gustaf about this contrast. Author Gustaf Berger told me, “Reality. If all were right in the burg, there would be no story.”
Starting his paper route when he is almost 12 years old, Leonard encounters nasty individuals, perverts, kind ladies who invite him in for milk and cookies and a Miss Simpson, who at first fills a motherly role that both she and Leonard needs. Gistaf noted, “Loneliness and the need for love brought them together.” Leonard’s abusive father died when Leonard was 7 and his mother, raising 3 children alone, is busy in her job and just surviving. Leonard is left on his own with little supervision and affection.
The three years of delivering papers help Leonard develop a greater knowledge of life, not all of it pleasant. He thinks, “I used to want to grow up. Lately, I haven’t been so sure. An awful lot of grownups didn’t seem so happy. Working. Taking care of children. Worrying about bills. Old people get sick a lot. Some got killed or injured in war.”
As Leonard collects his money, he encounters a grumpy old man in a wheelchair. After their first negative encounters, he and Sash bond. Leonard discovers that Sash is a disabled Marine in his 30’s. Sash becomes a father figure for the young paperboy, taking Leonard fishing with his Marine buddies. Leonard is able to talk to Sash and Miss Simpson in a way that he can’t talk to his family. He shares with them his troubles and successes-- at school, with girls and with his family. I asked Gustaf why there was a struggle between the intellect and the emotion in many of the characters. “Our intellect and emotions coexist within us; I’ll leave the subject of balance to shrinks and tightrope walkers.”
Leonard asks Sash why there are so many fathers that are messed up, thinking of his own abusive father and his friends’ fathers. Sash answers, “My uncle says people are just too full of human nature.”
We see that all the main characters have experienced pain, loss and violence, yet they continue to search for meaningful relationships. Miss Simpson quizzes Leonard on current events when they meet. Gustaf keeps us on track with the era with a real headline from the New York Times, bringing in baseball, the space race, segregation and snowstorms.
Leonard falls in love with Miss Simpson but after a tragic night, everything changes, including Leonard.
Leonard bikes around his old paper route on the last week of his route with some nostalgia and thinks, “It’s important to know what’s going on around the world, but none of that affects us like the up-close and personal. The daily struggle. Friends, family, community. I said a prayer for Miss Simpson and bicycled home.”
This heartwarming and heart-breaking story of an ordinary boy coming of age is a wonderful read on so many levels, including the author’s ability to turn a phrase to precisely capture the right emotion and situation. He also nails the ending, something many authors miss, even after a well-written novel. This is a book worth reading and an author worth following.
Leonard, like many boys of his age, loves hamburgers, the all-American traditional dinner. My Dad’s Deli Hamburger is the perfect recipe, especially now during grilling season. What am I saying—all year long!! Add some Royal Dell Coleslaw and a sour pickle for the best complete meal!
