Tilghman is gifted with the ability to express the secret yearnings, fears, regrets, and resentments of characters who can't speak for themselves. Perhaps the best example of this is "A Gracious Rain," in which Stanley, a blue-collar worker, ponders the meaning of life and feelings he can't articulate even to himself. Stanley's general satisfaction with his life forms a poignant contrast to his untimely death from a heart attack. The story's brooding, ruminative tone infuses this tragedy with a kind of eerie calm. At the story's close, Stanley becomes omniscient in death, like the characters in "Our Town." As he looks into the souls of those he knew, he discovers that it's the absence of pat answers to life's great questions that keeps us going.

Most of the stories in this collection deal with fathers, especially those trying to hold together shaky family foundations in the face of uncertain futures. Readers will find their thoughts turning again and again to the insights these stories impart--the mark of satisfying, skillful fiction.

There are two movies I've seen that call to mind what Tilghman does so aptly: "Nobody's Fool" (in which Paul Newman plays a somewhat childish man who has no clue about how to age gracefully) and "Affliction" (in which Nick Nolte and James Coburn are locked in corrosive father-son dysfunctionality). The stories in this collection unflinchingly document the breakdowns in communication that occur between "loved ones" who find it difficult to love each other. The often bristling exchanges between two brothers in "Something Important" are but one example. Though the stories here a bit more ruminative and not as tightly written as the ones in "In a Father's Place," they still leave an enduring impression.

Christopher Tilghman has received praise as an heir to Hemingway and others writing in the American "masculine" vein. His prose is lean and sinewy, like the heavily muscled arms of an athlete, and the characters who attract his scrutiny are men involved in strained or failed relationships. As in his first volume, "In a Father's Place," his characters are also very often coming to terms with families and seeking an identity for themselves in the world at large. There is a great deal of searching going on in Tilghman's stories, and sometimes this involves travelling and simply going from one place to another (ie, "The Way People Run"). The restlessness and unsettled lives of many of his character translates into stories that are filled with movement--most of it meaningful and revelatory--but occasionally it seems forced and somewhat pointless. "A Suitable Good-bye" is one of these, in which Lee Nichols joins his mother on her mission to locate her father's grave. The only reason for the trip seems to be to bring these characters together. Other stories work better, and overall the collection is accomplished and emotionally resonant, the writing polished to a fine sheen. Even if this collection is not quite up to the standard Tilghman set for himself with his first, I'll be eagerly awaiting his next book.

Tilghman's IN A FATHER'S PLACE is one of my favorite story collections, and I found MASON'S RETREAT to be a truly magnificent novel. THE WAY PEOPLE RUN is a more than worthy addition to Tilghman's body of work and my bookshelf. Tilghman knows how to develop characters with depth and grace. While I found all of the stories engrossing, the final two pieces are masterpieces, fresh and strange and humane by turns. A high recommendation.

How does a slender 30-something mother of two make a real life for herself, when her loudmouth misfit ... of a philandering husband departs for England and a dashing young yachtsman comes calling? Tend to her garden? If her husband is her choice, how does she aid him to overcome the disrespect of practically everyone who knows him, including her parents, the hired help, even their teenage son? There are the makings of a good story here.
Unfortunately, I found this first novel to be very much a freshman effort. The main failing was lack of gut-wrenching scenes, those that draw the reader in emotionally. I recall only one, and the author rushed through that one. The characters are hardly able to engage with one another and remain disconnected throughout. Most disappointing was the treatment of the Mason family estate, Mason's Retreat, which was never allowed to reveal its dark secrets.

Our book club read this as a monthly selection and we liked it. The characters are well-developed and the story continues to keep your interst. The setting on the Eastern Shore of Maryland had a particular interest for our Maryland book club but it is also informative for those not familiar with the "shore". The description of the time in history and the various relationships between different classes and races only adds to the character of the story.

Wonderfully drawn characters and a masterfully haunting sense of time and place. Characters include very real children (so much of literature is made up only of a world of erudite adults -- clearly not the planet I live on). I think of this book every time I go to the Eastern shore. Does anyone know if the author is in fact related to the folks that Tilighman is named after?