Idyll Banter: Weekly Execursions to a Very Small Town

by Chris Bohjalian

Years ago, Chris Bohjalian and his wife traded their Brooklyn co-op for a century-old Victorian house in Lincoln, Vermont (population 975). Bohjalian, a bestselling novelist, began chronicling life in that gloriously quirky little village with a wide variety of magazine essays and his newspaper column, “Idyll Banter.” These pieces, written over the course of twelve years, are honest, funny, and deeply affecting reflections on the unique idiosyncrasies of small-town life (annual outhouse races) and the universal experiences (our hunger for neighborliness) that unite us all.

• ISBN10: 1400052157
• ISBN13: 9781400052158
• Publish Date: 16 December 2003 (first published 1 January 2003)
• Publish Status: Remaindered
• Out of Print: 11 March 2015
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Random House USA Inc
• Imprint: Crown Publications
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 225
• Language: English

Reviews

[ibeforem]

I really enjoyed this collection of articles/essays/whatever you want to call them. I’m a fan of "author’s notes", as I think they give an idea of the author’s true voice — what they’re really like. After reading this, I feel like Bohjalian is someone that you could sit down and chat with and completely relate to. Some of it may be that I grew up in a small town like Lincoln, so I can draw some familiar comfort from the stories. I think that reading this will make me read his future books with a different eye.