Letters from Wheatfield

Patrick Shannon
Outskirts Press (2010)
ISBN 9781432757052
Reviewed by Marty Shaw for Reader Views (07/10)


If you live in a small town, have lived in a small town, or know anyone who does, then you’ll see more than a glimpse of real life in the little fictional town of Wheatfield. Patrick Shannon does an excellent job of showing that while little towns might be low in population, they’re practically over-flowing with laughs.

The book is in the form of letters from a couple originally from New York to Amelia, a relative who lives in Manhattan. Each letter reveals the exploits and occasional misadventures that unfold around them…and sometimes, because of them. Whether it’s an attempt to outwit the “System,” that unfailing network of gossipers that knows what you’ve done before you do it, or describing some of the more colorful characters who are actually strange enough to stand out from all the other colorful characters, “Letters from Wheatfield” will have you laughing until you cry.

Living in a small town myself, after moving here from a big city, I was able to relate to the humor found in mounting a surveillance camera on the one, lone traffic light, and in the big fuss made by both city hall and the townspeople when they decided to get a “fancy” garbage truck, even though the guy with the pickup truck was already doing a fine job of picking up trash. Such trivial (by big city standards) decisions resulting in often hilarious events shows just how different country living can be, and living in a place like Wheatfield can be compared to living on a completely different planet. As Fred, the displaced New Yorker, would say, “The place is pixilated.”

In addition to the normal chaos brought about by everyone in general, Amelia also gets to hear about the town’s most colorful character, Ranger Ned. Don’t underestimate old Ned. Everyone else thought he was harmless too, until the government showed up accusing him of treason because he happened to deploy a “dirty bomb.”

If the hectic pace of life has you feeling the strain, then you might want to consider visiting the little town of Wheatfield in “Letters from Wheatfield” by Patrick Shannon. After the laughter dies down, you’ll be both thankful and sad that you don’t live there. Thankful because the town is filled with drama-filled adventure that never dies down; sad because those adventures are shared with some of the best friends a person could ever have.

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