It is a common stereotype that “men don’t talk about their feelings.” But what do men do, in that case, when a deeply emotional situation is at hand, like the death of a family patriarch, and there’s one last chance to resolve old issues and reaffirm loving but difficult relationships before it’s too late? Thomas DeConna’s SEASON OF RESTORATIONS addresses that question, and comes up with a beautifully-written, if somewhat long answer – namely, they do a lot of intense internal processing, have some conversations that slide just past important issues and only occasionally address them head-on, and come to resolutions and understandings that are both mostly unspoken and yet, reasonably satisfying. We, the reader, are given all three perspectives, and can see what each man isn’t saying to the others as well as what they are, getting an inside view of each man’s life history and emotional point of view.

The book is permeated by a sense of wistful nostalgia for the Time When Men Were Men And Did Hard Physical Labor – it’s no accident that the most satisfying years of Frank’s life were his time in the Civilian Conservation Corps, or that Jack, tired of office work, comes back to working with his hands. George’s perspective, as a math teacher who finds more satisfaction in mentorship and intellectual labor than physical, is a useful counterpoint to this point of view, and it colors his relationship with both his father and his son. There’s a lot of description in this book – almost every action or experience is lovingly presented to us in vivid sensual prose, which is far more pleasant when, say, describing an apple doughnut than the condition of a car driven for years by a smoker. The details are evocative and intense, and bring the reader directly into the emotions of the story, though at times it feels like there’s too much visual and not enough plot. The reader is best advised to slow down, relax, and enjoy the scenery – part of the point of the book is that the journey is what matters, the continuing experience that is life, and the book’s own tone and texture reinforce this point beautifully. This is a book to savor and think about, not to rush through in search of dramatic revelations or plot twists – there are a couple of those, but they’re not what matters most here. In short, it’s a thoughtful and thought-provoking book about what it means to be a man, what it means to live a good life, and what fathers and sons need from each other.

Thomas DeConna’s SEASON OF RESTORATIONS, a touching story about the generational divides between men includes some evocative descriptive writing, some powerful emotional moments, and a lot of rich sensory detail.

~Catherine Birzer for IndieReader