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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
There's something about New Hampshire..., September 11, 2004
This review is from: Trutor and the Balloonist (Hardcover)
Both amusing and rewarding, Wesselmann's book poses two mysteries to the initially baffled reader: What secrets did Caroline Wharton hide from her family when she committed suicide and tied up her estate in a puzzling will? And, more generally, what is it about New Hampshire that inspires authors to populate their fiction with comically eccentric and emotionally challenged misfits?
Fleeing from an abusive relationship, Michelle Trutor visits the small town of Derbysville to seek refuge in the childhood home of her friend Arthur Wharton, whom she fondly calls "The Balloonist." Arthur enlists Michelle in cracking both the mystery of Caroline's death and the bizarre limitations of her last will and testament. Michelle soon realizes that the secrets of Caroline's life have been encoded in her art collection, in messages left with friends scattered throughout New England, and in pages of riddles discovered in her bedroom--a place declared off-limits to her intimidated family members by to the perplexing terms of their inheritance. Michelle is joined (or thwarted) on her escapade by Arthur's twin brother Proctor, their suspicious niece and housekeeper Roberta, the timid town historian Sissy (also the victim of an abusive husband), and the skulking, greedy estate executor Willowby.
So what is it about small towns in New Hampshire, anyway? The residents and visitors of Derbysville recall in surprising ways the parochial oddballs who inhabit Ernest Hebert's fictional town of Darby. Any resemblance between the two authors, however, ends with the idiosyncrasies of their characters. While Hebert evokes the realism of John Updike and Richard Russo, Wesselmann channels Roald Dahl and especially Lewis Carroll (to whom there are frequent allusions). Yet Wesselmann's novel steadfastly eschews phantasmagoria; just when you think Michelle Trutor is about to go down the rabbit hole, the adventure is reigned in by the solid gound of realism (or at least what passes for realism in New Hampshire).
The inscrutability of New Hampshire may never be deciphered, but, fortunately for readers, the unveiling of the secrets shrouding Caroline Wharton's life and death is both exceptionally entertaining and (best of all) immensely satisfying. Comparisons to other authors aside, the suspense and comedy of "Trutor and the Balloonist" inhabit a twisted universe quite unlike anywhere else found in modern fiction.
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Engaging Eccentrics Elucidate Enigmas...Exquisitely, March 23, 2003
This review is from: Trutor and the Balloonist (Hardcover)
Michelle Trutor (mostly called Trutor in the book) is rather at loose ends after leaving her abusive boyfriend, and accepts a vague job offer from aging attorney Arthur Wharton (whom she refers to as The Balloonist). Arthur and his twin brother Proctor live in the house where their adoptive sister Caroline raised them and then died, under strange circumstances, several years before. Trutor's assignment is to explore the mystery of Caroline, and to write her biography. Sounds simple enough but, as Trutor discovers, Caroline was a complex and difficult woman, who has shrouded herself in layers of mystery, a room full of journals, complex victorian riddles, paintings, and a coded map that symbolizes her life. Trutor quickly becomes immersed in this strange quest, and in Caroline's world, and as she does she also becomes part of the Whartons and their dysfunctional family. What happens? What does she learn about Caroline? What does she learn about herself? You will just have to read it and see! Trutor is an exquisitely crafted book. The writing is lucid and poetic, the characters engaging and complex, the New England ambience is convincing, and the underlying message is powerful: Love has the power to redeem. This is not a totally easy book to read. It takes concentration, and you will probably take the time, as I did, to solve some of the riddles, which will cause you to put down the book and think. There are many characters in the book, and you will have to do some checking back to remind yourself who they are and how they relate to the story. Still, it moves along and is well worth the effort. I recommend this one highly. Reviewed by Louis N. Gruber
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Pleasure To Read, January 13, 2003
This review is from: Trutor and the Balloonist (Hardcover)
Many, many years ago, a journalism professor told me, "There are no boring stories, only boring writers." How axiomatic! And Debbie Lee Wesselmann, a talented and gifted writer, takes what in my opinion is a superficially interesting story and makes it eminently readable and enjoyable. TRUTOR & THE BALLOONIST tells the story of an "odd couple" in every sense of the word: Michelle Trutor, a young researcher who has left her abusive boyfriend behind, and her curious friendship with Arthur Wharton (known affectionately to Trutor as "the Balloonist"), an aging attorney from a most eccentric New England family. The Balloonist enlists the aid of Trutor to unravel the complex secrets and riddles of his late sister Caroline, who has handcuffed her surviving heirs with a bizarre will, guarded by a pit bull of an attorney. Trutor proves to be a most effective sleuth; in fact, her uncanny ability to decipher riddles, connect the dots, and put the proverbial pieces of the puzzle together very gently flirts with suspension of disbelief. Suffice it to say that Caroline Wharton was a complex, perhaps cruel, individual, and when the story is finally resolved the reader will raise his/her eyebrows. Ms. Wesselmann has a supreme knack for detail; her descriptions of nature, of the quaint New England town where the Whartons reside, are dazzling, almost magical. The pacing of this book is wonderful, flawless. TRUTOR & THE BALLOONIST is from an author who is hitting her stride--an author to be reckoned with.
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