Mill River Recluse (Chan)

The Mill River Recluse
Darcie Chan, 2011
e-Book


Summary
New York Times and USA Today bestseller

Disfigured by the blow of an abusive husband, and suffering her entire life with severe social anxiety disorder, the widow Mary McAllister spends almost sixty years secluded in a white marble mansion overlooking the town of Mill River, Vermont. Her links to the outside world are few: the mail, the media, an elderly priest with a guilty habit of pilfering spoons, and a bedroom window with a view of the town below.

Most longtime residents of Mill River consider the marble house and its occupant peculiar, though insignificant, fixtures. An arsonist, a covetous nurse, and the endearing village idiot are among the few who have ever seen Mary. Newcomers to Mill River—a police officer and his daughter and a new fourth grade teacher—are also curious about the reclusive old woman. But only Father Michael O'Brien knows Mary and the secret she keeps--one that, once revealed, will change all of their lives forever.

The Mill River Recluse is a story of triumph over tragedy, one that reminds us of the value of friendship and the ability of love to come from the most unexpected of places. (From the author.)

Author Bio
• Birth—N/A
• Where—Wisconsin, USA
• Raised—Wisconsin, Colorado, and Indiana
• Education—B.A., Indiana University; J.D.,
   University of Baltimore
• Currently—lives in Westchester County, New York


Darcie Chan was born in Wisconsin and grew up in the small towns of Brandon, Wisconsin; La Junta and Cheraw, Colorado; and Paoli, Indiana. She has two younger sisters.

Thanks to loving and supportive parents who are both educators, she learned to read and write at an early age. As a child, she fell in love with books and became quite obsessed with Walter Farley's Black Stallion series of books, among many others. Her passion for reading and writing continued through college at Indiana University, Bloomington, and law school at the University of Baltimore.

Currently, Darcie works as an attorney and lives in northern Westchester County, New York, with her husband, their son, and two cats.  In her spare time, Darcie enjoys reading, writing fiction, gardening, playing piano, and cooking.

The Mill River Recluse is her first novel. (From the author's website.)

Book Reviews
[A] real page-turner.
IndieReader.com

Chan's sweet novel displays her talent.... A comforting book about the random acts of kindness that hold communities together.
Kirkus Reviews

Discussion Questions
1. The Mill River Recluse is not written in a single timeline, but instead with alternating timelines that link near the end. What did you think of this structure? Did you find it difficult to follow? Was it effective in driving the story forward, or was it disorienting or annoying? Did you prefer one timeline over the other?

2. Of all the characters in The Mill River Recluse, with which one did you most identify, and why?

3. The opening scene of The Mill River Recluse is of Mary McAllister taking her own life to avoid having to suffer further agonizing pain and certain eventual natural death resulting from her metastatic cancer. Do you think Father O’Brien knew Mary planned to take her own life when he left the marble mansion that last night? What do you think about Mary’s decision to take things into her own hands? Did this scene give you pause about whether you wanted to continue reading the story?

4. How does Mary McAllister evolve from a shy teenager into a woman held prisoner by social anxiety and agoraphobia? Do you agree with the way in which Father O’Brien tried to help her? Would you have done anything differently had you been in his position?

5. Patrick McAllister is shockingly cruel, particularly toward the most vulnerable people and animals in his life. His parents fawn over him, catering to his every whim without adequate discipline, while Conor McAllister, his grandfather, struggles to exert what good influence he can. Do you think that Patrick became the person he did because of his parents and their relationship with him?
(Questions courtesy of the author.)

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