Heart of Junk
Author: Luke Geddes
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
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Note: Trigger warnings are provided for those who need them at the bottom of this page. If you don’t need them and don’t want to risk spoilers, don’t scroll past the full review.
Cover Description
The city of Wichita, Kansas, is wracked with panic over the abduction of toddler pageant princess Lindy Bobo. However, the dealers at The Heart of America Antique Mall are too preoccupied by their own neurotic compulsions to take much notice. Postcards, perfume bottles, Barbies, vinyl records, kitschy neon beer signs—they collect and sell it all.
Rather than focus on Lindy, this colorful cast of characters is consumed by another drama: the impending arrival of Mark and Grant from the famed antiques television show Pickin’ Fortunes, who are planning to film an episode at The Heart of America and secretly may be the last best hope of saving the mall from bankruptcy. Yet the mall and the missing beauty queen have more to do with each other than these vendors might think, and before long, the group sets in motion a series of events that lead to surprising revelations about Lindy’s whereabouts. As the mall becomes implicated in her disappearance, will Mark and Grant be scared away from all of the drama or will they arrive in time to save The Heart of America from going under?
Equally comical and suspenseful, Heart of Junk is also a biting commentary on our current Marie Kondo era. It examines why certain objects resonate with us so deeply, rebukes Kondo’s philosophy of wholesale purging, and argues that “junk” can have great value — connecting us not only to our personal pasts but to our shared human history. As author Luke Geddes writes: “A collection was a record of a life lived, maybe not well or happily but at least with attention and passion. It was autobiography made whole.”
TL;DR Review
Heart of Junk is a laugh-inducing, refreshing little story that will tug at your heart strings harder than you expect. Every character is weird a lovable and well-written. I loved it.
For you if: You’re looking for a good giggle, and maybe to have your heart cracked open a little bit.
Full Review
Big thank you to the folks over at Simon & Schuster for sending me an advanced review copy of this book! You were right, this was right up my alley, and I’m so glad to have read it. It comes out January 21st.
Me at the end of chapter 1: “Oh my gosh, this book is going to be hilarious.”
Me at the end of chapter 3: “Oh my gosh, this book is going to break my heart.”
Heart of Junk is a story about a dying antique market told through the eyes of several characters — the market’s owner, his daughter, and several of the booth renters. Each one of them is super quirky and unique, and although it’s written in third person, Geddes brings each of their voices out loud and clear in each chapter’s narration. It’s funny and moving at the same time.
The premise is this: There’s a big TV show coming to tape an episode about the Heart of America, their sprawling and struggling antique market in Wichita, KS. Many of our characters have convinced themselves that the filming could solve the most pressing of their problems, but there’s a snag: A local little girl is missing, and it might keep the show from filming after all. One of our characters knows what happened to her, though.
Told in the span of five days, we wonder — will she be found? Will the show come to town after all? How on earth might this story wrap up on a hopeful note? Will Margaret admit the thing she’s denying? Will Lee and Seymour be okay? Will Kieth get some relief? etc etc etc
I expected to laugh with this one, but I didn’t expect to get walloped in the heart so many times! Geddes dives into and out of the seriousness of the situation, hooking you and bringing you to the brink of emotional release, only to drop in with perfectly timed comedic relief and show you that yes, these characters’ struggles are serious and worthy of your heart space, but also, let’s laugh because why not?
This was a great story to start the year with — light enough to be oodles of fun, but serious enough to feel like more than pure entertainment. I highly recommend.
Trigger Warnings
Body hatred and fat phobia
Kidnapping and abduction
Homophobia and heterosexism
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