There’s nothing like sinking into a thick, time-sweeping novel rich with complex, flawed characters, family drama and World War II history. Patrick Ryan’s New York Times bestselling “Buckeye,” released last year, is that book.

The story begins with Cal Jenkins, born with a defect that prevents him from serving in the war, but leads him to meet Margaret Salt, who grew up in an orphanage and finds herself in Bonhomie, Ohio, thanks to the man she marries.

We also meet Cal’s wife, Becky, a seer who can communicate with the dead, and Margaret’s husband, Felix, who’s carrying his own secret. The author is adept at interweaving characters and their stories. – Jennifer Mulson, The Gazette