Notes from the Porch Receives Booklist Review!

Novelist Greene (The Perfect Liar, 2019) admits to being “a relentlessly social extrovert.” When COVID paused public life, Greene rode out lonely months at home by leaning into the power of stories—some from his past, and some that unfolded as he kept watch from his porch in Montpelier, VT.

The stories collected here are snapshots of the heart centered on people: family, neighbors, and strangers. Titles enticingly hint at the observational richness they contain; “Magic” and “Mirror Lake” give away their meanings only after a satisfying reading. The series of stories that feature swaggering, bike-riding, seven-year-old “Neighborhood Boy” are by turns funny and poignant, depending on whether the boy is showing off on his bike or wondering if there’s a heaven. Most affecting are the remembrances and story of a brown-eyed daughter who died in infancy. Greene shares all this with an air of friendliness, inviting readers into his confidence with an open, conversational tone.

Fans of Greene’s novels and readers wanting small and thoughtful slices of life will enjoy this collection.

— Kelly Fojtik for Booklist