Who Are You, Calvin Bledsoe?

Calvin Bledsoe has been raised in a small town in the middle of nowhere by a distant father and a cold, controlling mother. Nola Bledsoe is a minister whose life revolves around her hero, John Calvin. She even names her son after him, and makes sure that this son reads John Calvin's writing and can quote him.

Though the author introduces us to Calvin Bledsoe as a middle-aged man, this is, nevertheless, a coming of age story. At this point, Calvin has never left home, not even to work; he blogs for at pellet stove company. Yes, pellet stoves. I think that's brilliant! What could be a more boring, pointless job?

Calvin Bledsoe's safe, predictable, mind-numbing life is about to change completely when his mother is suddenly killed in an accident and an aunt he didn't know he had shows up at the funeral. Calvin's Aunt Beatrice is fabulously eccentric and funny. And outrageously bad.

Contrary to his usual nature, Calvin is manipulated into taking a trip with his Aunt Beatrice, and this is where the zany adventure begins. As the two of them travel around Europe, Calvin finds that Aunt Beatrice has many secrets, and as it turns out, he is on a mystery tour, the purpose of which is not revealed until the end. Calvin is indeed easy to kidnap, his old life gone--but as Aunt Beatrice tells him, "It's okay, Calvin. You weren't using that life anyway." Finally, Calvin seizes the moment to make his own choice...

There were some laugh out loud moments for me, but it wouldn't be appropriate to spoil them here. (As it turns out, Calvin has a cousin with a unique vocation, as well.) The events were not at all predictable, and kept me turning the pages. I very much enjoyed the humor and the mystery. Also, I found the writing style pleasing and the story well-paced.

Thank you, Rachel, from Algonquin Books, for sending this novel my way! I'd recommend it to anyone.