Virgil Wander

Title: Virgil Wander
Author: Leif Enger
Publication Date: October 2, 2018
“Maximum Ceiling”
A small Minnesota industrial town is put under the microscope in this beautifully written story of one man’s perspective and love for his home. Young and old are represented as are their hopes, dreams, and past lives. It is all told through the victim of a traumatic brain injury, that injury not being all bad.
Virgil Wander is owner of The Empress, an old and crumbling main street movie house. Virgil’s near death accident when his car goes off the road and lands in Lake Superior, leaves a “new” Virgil in its wake, one with an expanded view of this Midwest town and its inhabitants, a cast of colorful characters who make up the fabric of his community.
Rune is the old kite-flying gentleman who is trying to connect in the only way he knows to his missing son Alec. Rune’s daughter-in-law Nadine and his grandson Bjorn are virtual strangers being transformed into family. It is breathtaking to watch this transformation. The writing is so exquisite.
Jerry Fandeen is the broken man in crisis, looking for a foothold. The Pea family adds weight with their folklore and their familial story of a scary sturgeon. The mysterious Mr. Leer is a seemingly soulless man who brings forth the fear of death in those he encounters.
Virgil’s utter acceptance of all of these characters is the literary glue that lovingly pieces them together, a patchwork quilt of sorts. It’s a love letter to the small Minnesota town that time forgot.
BRB Rating: Read It.
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