Mish Atkinson, an eighty-two-year-old widow, lives in a normal neighborhood in Fair Valley, West Virginia. "What do we mean when we say 'normal'? In her engaging novel, Cindy Maddox pushes on norms we may assume around inclusion, intergenerational friendships, and the human capacity to grow and change. She builds a small-town world the reader hopes to revisit, full of characters across the age range who are relatable in their hopes and struggles with family and faith. When Mish sets out to help a new friend, readers will root for her to fulfill her mission." —Martha Spong. “Cindy Maddox’s In the Neighborhood of Normal could rightly come with this warning on the front cover: ‘Necessary for your health. This book may cause tears amidst laughter.’ Mish’s journey is our journey as she learns how to stand up for herself because she always stands up for others. As she follows the love, she spreads it, making strangers’ lives better because ‘I think you find what you are.’ In the Neighborhood of Normal is the exactly right read for this unprecedented post-Trump, knee-deep-in-Covid, uncertain moment. A good dose of Mish’s boldness and optimism is what the doctor ordered.” —Alex Poppe. The author, Cindy Maddox has worked in publishing, earned a Master of Divinity degree, and now lives in Maine with her wife and two children.
Raleigh, North Carolina: Regal House Publishing, 2021. 230 pages. Trade paperback.