Stuck in Manistique

By Dennis Cuesta

Celestial Eyes Press     2018

360 pages     Fiction

Many people might want to be stuck in Manistique, a beautiful small town on the northern shore of Lake Michigan, which in my opinion, is the most beautiful lake in the world. It’s a great vacation spot, with a beautiful sandy beach, a great lighthouse, and a quirky downtown.

Mark isn’t so sure about Manistique. When he found he had inherited his aunt Vivian’s estate, which included a house in Manistique, he decided to drive from his home in Oak Park, Illinois to see what he had inherited and to settle her affairs. He knew very little about his mother’s younger sister, but had an idealized vision of her because of her work with organizations like Doctors Without Borders. He was surprised to learn that she had retired to Manistique Michigan, and even more surprised to learn that the house he inherited was a bed and breakfast and there are guests coming to stay.

But first, Mark has to get over the Mackinac Bridge—the Mighty Mac. He has a profound fear of bridges and avoids them at all costs. In case you don’t know, the Mackinac Bridge is 5-miles long and connects the upper and lower peninsulas of the state of Michigan. By the way, is one of the only ways to get to the U.P. from the lower peninsula. What Mark found, and what I didn’t know, is that you can get a state-employed driver to get you over the bridge if you have a fear like Mark’s. (There is your useless bit of knowledge for the day unless, of course, you need to get over the bridge and you have a fear of bridges!)

Over the next few days, a lot of comedy ensues. The middle part of the book is much like the play Noises Off, with all kinds of people coming in and out of the house and all kinds of ridiculous things happening. It is very slapstick and funny. One of the people coming through the door is Emily, a young doctor, and over the span of the novel, Mark and Emily find they have a common need for care and nurture. One of the things I liked about the book  is that Emily and Mark find themselves not romantically attached but more like close relatives.  In the closing chapters, there are several poignant moments as Mark and Emily each come to better understand their place in the world and a way to move forward in their lives.

Stuck in Manistique has been on my TBR list for several months. The opening chapters of the book give a lovely picture of northern Michigan, and because I had been in the U.P. twice in 2018, I recognized many of the scenes Cuesta identified. I drove over the bridge three times, and could almost understand Mark’s intense anxiety about driving over it.

This is not a serious book; it is the kind of book you close and say, “Well, that was fun!” The reader has a moment to ponder the concept of fate, and its place in our lives. It also has a message about love and care, and I liked that deep friendship was more the message than romantic love. Stuck in Manistique is Cuesta’s first novel, and it appears to be self-published. It’s a good book to read sitting on the beach on Lake Michigan or sitting in the living room with the fireplace blazing during a winter storm, as I did. Enjoy the book. We deserve a break!