Propelled by an irresistible cast of characters, Buckeye is a warm, funny and emotionally affecting novel about two families living in one small town, bound together by secrets that will not stay buried

‘I’ve been yearning for a novel that connects the American generations who dealt with our two Wars – one of Omaha Beach, the other of the Ia Drang Valley. Buckeye is that book, and it soars’ TOM HANKS

‘Funny and tender ... Patrick Ryan has long been one of my favourite writers’ ANN PATCHETT

‘I love this novel with my entire heart … Wise and heartbreaking’ ANN NAPOLITANO

May, 1945. As news of the Allied victory in Europe reaches the small town of Bonhomie, Ohio, a woman named Margaret Salt walks into a hardware store and asks the man behind the counter, Cal Jenkins, for a radio. What happens next will change both of their lives forever.

While the country reconstructs in the post-war boom, a secret grows in Bonhomie – and nothing can remain hidden in a small town. The consequences of that long-ago encounter will intertwine the fates of two families, rippling through the next generation and compelling them to re-examine who they thought they were and what the future might hold.

Full of compassion, humour and charm, Buckeye is a dazzling portrait of the human spirit by way of one unforgettable community; the twisted roads we take to achieve forgiveness and redemption; and above all a universal longing for love and connection.

"Written in the key of Dickens ... This widescreen yet intimate tapestry is masterfully woven together and Ryan succeeds in a conjuring a believable story of love (of all kinds) in a time of tension and conflict ... Recalls the early novels of John Irving. The triumph of his book is the way it captures the nature of mistakes, both the holes dug and the bridges built. It’s not just a great Midwestern novel, it’s a great novel, period" - Financial Times

"A poignant, powerful exploration of small-town America" - Independent, BOOK OF THE MONTH

"A gentle, humane family saga of quiet competence and occasional grace ... An affectionate portrait" - Mail on Sunday

"Tender, funny, forgiving and so cleverly wrought" - Saga, BOOK OF THE MONTH

"Big-hearted, enveloping ... Richly painted, moving and told with compassion" - Sainsbury's

"I was swept up in the first few pages of this tender and richly told novel of marriage and family, connection and community ... A novel that has echoes of Paul Murray’s The Bee Sting. A monumental achievement" - Bookseller