“The Cary Grant Sanatorium and Playhouse” by Will Tinkham

Will Tinkham did it again. Swept me off my feet and into yet another totally immersive story, where the characters feel real rather than fictional and America becomes intimately familiar rather than a faraway continent across the ocean.

“The Cary Grant Sanatorium and Playhouse” is the ninth book in Will Tinkham’s Americana series that I’ve read. I dread the moment when I’ll have read all of them, and the author won’t have released a new one by then. All I can do is remind myself that I love rereading books, so that’s what I will be doing while waiting for the next instalment.

Donna Darling never wanted to be a movie star. Her dream was to be a nurse, and she fulfilled it. But fate had a peculiarly twisted arc in store for her. Instead of honing her skills in a hospital, through an incredible episode of delivering the quadruplets in a country-crossing train, Donna found herself in Hollywood. Despite the promising start and friendships formed with prominent actors and directors, Donna had to flee the glamour and shine of show business. She ended up in Ohio, in the place for unwed mothers, by coincidence run by people who also had suffered from Hollywood’s darker side.

Seamus von Funck had to flee too. When Hitler claimed power in Austria, Seamus had no choice but to leave his homeland and his parents behind. He could not imagine himself becoming a Nazi. The journey to America turned out far from effortless, but the hardships Seamus had to endure – think hiding in a shit pit of a military camp latrine for days – would have shattered the resolve of many a strong man. Moreover, after arriving in the country that declared freedom as its main principle, Seamus found himself in prison, accused of being a spy of the regime he had just run away from.

What were the chances for Donna and Seamus to meet in the vastness of the United States? Besides, even if their paths did cross, what might these two have in common? Thanks to the genius of the author, the nurse turned actress turned nurse again and the medicine student from Austria find a way to the same place and to each other. But that, following Will Tinkham’s trademark style – inimitable and brilliant – is only the beginning.

As always, I was glad to ‘meet’ the characters from other Americana books. The number of characters might feel overwhelming, but book after book, the reader’s familiarity with each of them builds, until the moment comes when you greet them like you would long-lost friends or family. I thank the author for yet another amazing reading adventure, and I’m looking forward to embarking on the next.