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In This Ground
For years, Ben Dirjery, a rock-star-turned-gravedigger, has struggled with guilt over the death of a former bandmate, who is buried, literally, under Ben's feet. Faced with new pressure to confront his guilt, Ben might finally put it to rest and bring music back into his life.
"Startlingly incongruous parts--graveyards, guitars, and mushrooms--come together in satisfying and unexpected ways. Sharp writing and an unconventional plot make for a darkly enjoyable read."--Kirkus Reviews
"IN THIS GROUND brings both music and joy to an otherwise mournful landscape. Castrodale challenges us to come to terms with what is important in our lives by confronting the inevitability of death, and she does so with such frankness and grace that we are compelled to embrace, rather than fear, the unknown."--Wendy J. Fox
"Castrodale makes a cemetery not only come to life but also become a central character. Deep in the soil of this unlikely ground, [she]has buried great heart. She channels Richard Russo in her ability to command a large cast of characters about whom we care greatly."--Jen Michalski
"That a graveyard can be a stage for so much vigorous, multilayered life is one of the many surprises in Beth Castrodale's warm and wonderful novel. The paths of vividly drawn characters intersect to create a vibrant canvas of uncommon richness and breadth. With the deftness of a magician and uncanny insight, Castrodale weaves together the present moment with its contending dramas and the past with its tragedies, in this moving and deeply satisfying novel that illuminates how hearts break and how they mend."--Lynn Sloan
"Startlingly incongruous parts--graveyards, guitars, and mushrooms--come together in satisfying and unexpected ways. Sharp writing and an unconventional plot make for a darkly enjoyable read."--Kirkus Reviews
"IN THIS GROUND brings both music and joy to an otherwise mournful landscape. Castrodale challenges us to come to terms with what is important in our lives by confronting the inevitability of death, and she does so with such frankness and grace that we are compelled to embrace, rather than fear, the unknown."--Wendy J. Fox
"Castrodale makes a cemetery not only come to life but also become a central character. Deep in the soil of this unlikely ground, [she]has buried great heart. She channels Richard Russo in her ability to command a large cast of characters about whom we care greatly."--Jen Michalski
"That a graveyard can be a stage for so much vigorous, multilayered life is one of the many surprises in Beth Castrodale's warm and wonderful novel. The paths of vividly drawn characters intersect to create a vibrant canvas of uncommon richness and breadth. With the deftness of a magician and uncanny insight, Castrodale weaves together the present moment with its contending dramas and the past with its tragedies, in this moving and deeply satisfying novel that illuminates how hearts break and how they mend."--Lynn Sloan
- GenresMystery
160 pages, Paperback
First published September 18, 2018
About the author
Beth Castrodale
5 books142 followersBeth Castrodale worked as a newspaper reporter until her love of books led her to the publishing field. She was a senior editor at Bedford/St. Martin’s and is the founding editor of Small Press Picks. Her short fiction has appeared in numerous publications, including Marathon Literary Review, Printer’s Devil Review, and the Smoky Blue Literary and Arts Magazine. Her debut novel, MARION HATLEY, was a finalist for a Nilsen Prize for a First Novel from Southeast Missouri State University Press, and an excerpt from her second novel, IN THIS GROUND, was a shortlist finalist for a William Faulkner – William Wisdom Creative Writing Award. Castrodale’s third novel is I MEAN YOU NO HARM. An excerpt from her fourth novel, THE INHABITANTS, landed her an artist grant from the Mass Cultural Council. It is slated to be released by Regal House Publishing in the fall of 2024. Get a free copy of her novel Gold River when you sign up for her e-newsletter, at http://www.bethcastrodale.com/gold-ri....
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 10, 2019
Favorite Quotes:
Cole tried to picture Ms. Gale drinking in a cemetery and didn’t come close. Though she looked younger than any other teacher in the school it was impossible to imagine her at seventeen—at least not the loud, stupid kind of seventeen. Her type of serious seemed elemental, the type you had from birth.
Nature will have her way with all of us, son, no matter what tricks we try to pull. If you want someone to stay the same forever you better take a picture.
My Review:
This was one of the quirkiest, smartly written, and multi-layered tales I have ever read; I enjoyed it immensely. I wasn’t always in full comprehension of what was transpiring or where the story was taking me, but I certainly delighted in the unpredictability and capriciousness of this wily author’s route. The characters were an odd assortment of unconventional and unorthodox, and I was incurably curious about each and every one of them. Even the secondary characters were tantalizingly complex and thoughtfully constructed with peculiar foibles and compelling irregularities.
At the heart of the story was an existential and analytical gravedigger who had been an up and coming and talented musician in his youth, but had denied himself the pleasure of his first love of music for over twenty years. Mix in family dramas, yarn bombing, mushroom hunting, art, covert cemetery gatherings, green burials and environmental concerns, cemetery maintenance, and prickly small-town bureaucrats; and I was amazed at the author’s agile artistry in creatively weaving all these wildly diverse threads together. This is one of those unusual tales where the extraordinary characters will periodically revisit and inhabit my cranium for quite some time.
Cole tried to picture Ms. Gale drinking in a cemetery and didn’t come close. Though she looked younger than any other teacher in the school it was impossible to imagine her at seventeen—at least not the loud, stupid kind of seventeen. Her type of serious seemed elemental, the type you had from birth.
Nature will have her way with all of us, son, no matter what tricks we try to pull. If you want someone to stay the same forever you better take a picture.
My Review:
This was one of the quirkiest, smartly written, and multi-layered tales I have ever read; I enjoyed it immensely. I wasn’t always in full comprehension of what was transpiring or where the story was taking me, but I certainly delighted in the unpredictability and capriciousness of this wily author’s route. The characters were an odd assortment of unconventional and unorthodox, and I was incurably curious about each and every one of them. Even the secondary characters were tantalizingly complex and thoughtfully constructed with peculiar foibles and compelling irregularities.
At the heart of the story was an existential and analytical gravedigger who had been an up and coming and talented musician in his youth, but had denied himself the pleasure of his first love of music for over twenty years. Mix in family dramas, yarn bombing, mushroom hunting, art, covert cemetery gatherings, green burials and environmental concerns, cemetery maintenance, and prickly small-town bureaucrats; and I was amazed at the author’s agile artistry in creatively weaving all these wildly diverse threads together. This is one of those unusual tales where the extraordinary characters will periodically revisit and inhabit my cranium for quite some time.
January 23, 2019
In This Ground by Beth Castrodale is a tale about love and friendship, music and art, a cemetery, mushrooms, knitting, music, and letting go of the ghosts that keep some anchored in the past. That may sound pretty random, but I'm sure it peaked your interest! It certainly peaked mine!
I'm so grateful to have been given the chance to participate in the TLC Book Tour to help promote this novel!
This tale was so wonderfully written and the cast was fantastic! I had so much fun reading it.
If you want to dive into a book and be totally wrapped up in the tangled web of a wonderful cast of characters, then this is a book for you.
I absolutely adored the characters in the novel. I was so interested to learn more about each of them, whether that was through the current timeline or flashbacks into the past. I also really loved how each of their story-lines seemed so separated and random at first, but then they slowly started to cross paths.
While reading, it felt like each chapter was bringing me closer to understanding the full scope of things. And that ending certainly didn't disappoint! When it comes to the pacing, I hate to say that it was "slow" because I feel that too many people see that as a complaint, and that's not the case here. The story moseyed along at a leisurely, but perfect speed for the story line.
I found the setting, the cemetery, so interesting! I used to love hanging out in the cemeteries in my hometown, enjoying the quiet and trying to find the oldest headstone. Of course, some of the cemeteries had ghost stories related to them, so that always added a bit of nervousness and excitement to the trips.
In this story, I really enjoyed learning more about the proper upkeep of a cemetery, as well as the funding. Those were two elements that I certainly hadn't thought about before! I also had never heard about green funerals before, but found the idea wonderfully interesting!
My favorite passage:
Nature will have her way with all of us, son, no matter what tricks we try to pull. If you want someone to stay the same forever you better take a picture.
My final thoughts:
I highly recommend checking this one out, especially if you're a fan of music! This was such an enjoyable read. I can't wait to read it again soon!
I'm so grateful to have been given the chance to participate in the TLC Book Tour to help promote this novel!
This tale was so wonderfully written and the cast was fantastic! I had so much fun reading it.
If you want to dive into a book and be totally wrapped up in the tangled web of a wonderful cast of characters, then this is a book for you.
I absolutely adored the characters in the novel. I was so interested to learn more about each of them, whether that was through the current timeline or flashbacks into the past. I also really loved how each of their story-lines seemed so separated and random at first, but then they slowly started to cross paths.
While reading, it felt like each chapter was bringing me closer to understanding the full scope of things. And that ending certainly didn't disappoint! When it comes to the pacing, I hate to say that it was "slow" because I feel that too many people see that as a complaint, and that's not the case here. The story moseyed along at a leisurely, but perfect speed for the story line.
I found the setting, the cemetery, so interesting! I used to love hanging out in the cemeteries in my hometown, enjoying the quiet and trying to find the oldest headstone. Of course, some of the cemeteries had ghost stories related to them, so that always added a bit of nervousness and excitement to the trips.
In this story, I really enjoyed learning more about the proper upkeep of a cemetery, as well as the funding. Those were two elements that I certainly hadn't thought about before! I also had never heard about green funerals before, but found the idea wonderfully interesting!
My favorite passage:
Nature will have her way with all of us, son, no matter what tricks we try to pull. If you want someone to stay the same forever you better take a picture.
My final thoughts:
I highly recommend checking this one out, especially if you're a fan of music! This was such an enjoyable read. I can't wait to read it again soon!
January 17, 2019
Graveyards, Yarn Bombing, Mushrooms, Painting, Song writing, Musicians, Archaeology, and a Wanderer.
I would have never expected all of these topics in this short novel. Beth Castrodale masterfully combines all of these topics. Initially, I found the book to be a slow start, but before I knew it I cared about each of the characters. The character development is simple, yet profound.
Ben Dirjery is a single Dad of a teenage daughter. He works as a caretaker at a graveyard, has a passion for mushrooms, and is very concerned about his own mortality. His daughter is a drummer and is torn about her parents and the complications of each relationship. Each minor character adds to all the layers in this book. I would gladly read more about each of those characters.
I would have never expected all of these topics in this short novel. Beth Castrodale masterfully combines all of these topics. Initially, I found the book to be a slow start, but before I knew it I cared about each of the characters. The character development is simple, yet profound.
Ben Dirjery is a single Dad of a teenage daughter. He works as a caretaker at a graveyard, has a passion for mushrooms, and is very concerned about his own mortality. His daughter is a drummer and is torn about her parents and the complications of each relationship. Each minor character adds to all the layers in this book. I would gladly read more about each of those characters.
January 17, 2019
4.25 Stars. Sometimes you just want a ‘quieter’ read, one of those narratives that whispers to you while slowly wrapping you in its web.
In This Ground
is just that book.
At first, the puzzle pieces starkly presented seemed disjointed. However, slowly but surely the differing character viewpoints coalesce into a much more meaningful and heartwarming landscape.
Metaphorically, that landscape is one filled with achingly real, imperfect people. Despite their differences, and at times, discord they are all principally good intentioned. Each in their own way is just trying to make the best of what life throws at them. Read full review >>
At first, the puzzle pieces starkly presented seemed disjointed. However, slowly but surely the differing character viewpoints coalesce into a much more meaningful and heartwarming landscape.
Metaphorically, that landscape is one filled with achingly real, imperfect people. Despite their differences, and at times, discord they are all principally good intentioned. Each in their own way is just trying to make the best of what life throws at them. Read full review >>
October 23, 2018
Beth Castrodale's "In This Ground" does the equivalent of deftly performing a very challenging dive from the high platform. She takes a setting that people often go to great lengths to avoid-a cemetery-and makes it a place so interesting in its background and finely drawn characters, one eagerly enters into this largely unknown world, and finds it alive as any other. She does this with an abundance of wit, and demonstrates how largely hidden motives forged from experience make us all human. A richly entertaining and thoughtful novel.
October 22, 2018
I really loved this book, which is set in a cemetary and explores themes like art and death and music and rebirth. Castrodale manages at least six different POV characters, each one distict and beautifully drawn. This is a fanstastically drawn literary novel, written with sharply drawn characters and settings. It will make you look at your local cemetary in a new way!
November 8, 2018
The kind of novel I turn to when I want comfort is one that is peopled with authentic characters doing their best within a large community, operating, as real communities do, with oppositional forces. In This Ground offers this and so much more. In fact, I’ve read this book twice, because I wanted to return to the world that Castrodale creates. At the center of this novel is a place, Bolster Hill Cemetery, and a father and daughter drama, a coming-of-age story, and a crisis of middle age story. Ben Dirjery is the groundskeeper at Bolster Hill Cemetery, like his father before him. Once he was a rocker, but he gave up music for young family. At nearly fifty, divorced from his wife, he lives with his teenage daughter, Cole. She worries that he doesn’t have much of a life, even as she begins to strike out on her own, keeping secrets about her own ambitions to be a musician. As Cole and her friends try to forge a group, secretly rehearsing among the tombstones at night, by day, Ben, on the same land, contends with community activists who want to stop the exhumation of the Unknown Vagrant, a group of gardeners who have their own plans for the cemetery landscaping, a dear, dying friend who wants to have a “green burial,” and the cemetery director and board, concerned with the bottom line. Castrodale weaves together these different strands, creating a warm deeply humane story about letting go and of finding. This is a deeply satisfying book.
December 30, 2018
Before I go much further, I have to say that I L-O-V-E this book. In This Ground is thought provoking with just a bit of quirky artistry running through most of the characters.
Again, can I say I love this book? I'm in kind of a conundrum though because I usually do not care for novels built around a secret mystery, a mystery that when reveled leaves a bit of "Meh" in the experience. While I thought the mystery of Vince's death a bit unremarkable, I think it was my connection with Ben and his family that caused me to over look that minor bit.
Castrodale weaves together an unusual plot and characters. How does one connect music, art, yarn bombing, parenthood, aging, and grave digging all set in a small Massachusetts town? She achieves this and then some. Her characters are well-rounded, even the ones that we wish we knew more about like Peg the yarn bomber and Leah the artist.
The setting for much of the novel, Bolster Cemetery, led me to make connections with Edgar Lee Masters Spoon River Anthology. There was a story with every grave, not just with the Unknown Vagrant.
There is actually quite a bit of food in the novel and the language used to describe them is inventive and interesting. There's Ben's "burrito webbed in regret" (116) and Meredith's "increasingly suspect lassi" (40). (That lassi was definitely suspect!) The motif that kept reoccurring throughout was fungus and mushrooms, "vegetable vermin, only meant to be destroyed" (54). Mushrooms give off spores, reproduce, glow, and even lead some characters to major epiphanies. Fungus becomes a life focus for a couple of characters and perhaps even an avenue after death.
Although some might think the ending too tidily wrapped up, I did not. I think that even though Ben is finding relief and solace again in his art, there is much more healing and growth to occur. This book left me wanting more of Castrodale's voice so I am picking up Gold River next (which you can get for free if you subscribe on Castrodale's website). Marion Hartley will also be on my 2019 list.
Again, can I say I love this book? I'm in kind of a conundrum though because I usually do not care for novels built around a secret mystery, a mystery that when reveled leaves a bit of "Meh" in the experience. While I thought the mystery of Vince's death a bit unremarkable, I think it was my connection with Ben and his family that caused me to over look that minor bit.
Castrodale weaves together an unusual plot and characters. How does one connect music, art, yarn bombing, parenthood, aging, and grave digging all set in a small Massachusetts town? She achieves this and then some. Her characters are well-rounded, even the ones that we wish we knew more about like Peg the yarn bomber and Leah the artist.
The setting for much of the novel, Bolster Cemetery, led me to make connections with Edgar Lee Masters Spoon River Anthology. There was a story with every grave, not just with the Unknown Vagrant.
There is actually quite a bit of food in the novel and the language used to describe them is inventive and interesting. There's Ben's "burrito webbed in regret" (116) and Meredith's "increasingly suspect lassi" (40). (That lassi was definitely suspect!) The motif that kept reoccurring throughout was fungus and mushrooms, "vegetable vermin, only meant to be destroyed" (54). Mushrooms give off spores, reproduce, glow, and even lead some characters to major epiphanies. Fungus becomes a life focus for a couple of characters and perhaps even an avenue after death.
Although some might think the ending too tidily wrapped up, I did not. I think that even though Ben is finding relief and solace again in his art, there is much more healing and growth to occur. This book left me wanting more of Castrodale's voice so I am picking up Gold River next (which you can get for free if you subscribe on Castrodale's website). Marion Hartley will also be on my 2019 list.
February 16, 2020
For years I’ve been enjoying Beth Castrodale’s book reviews focusing on small-press literary fiction, and was glad for a chance to read her own fiction. In This Ground offers an interesting variation on the “artist with a day job” motif: a gifted musician who has worked all his life in a cemetery.
It might seem odd to think of a cemetery having a “life,” but the life of the cemetery forms the fascinating backdrop to the novel and also an important element in the lives of the characters.
Some of these elements—the tomb of the Unknown Vagrant, the campaign for environmentally sound “green burials”—could be enjoyably macabre in the hands of an Edward Gorey or a Shirley Jackson, but the author takes them in a different direction. Here they’re simply fascinating details expertly woven into the everyday lives of Ben and his teenage daughter, Cole. The author clearly has a gift for depicting ordinary, likeable characters with compassion and nuance, and giving us a vividly rendered, deeply rooted sense of place.
It might seem odd to think of a cemetery having a “life,” but the life of the cemetery forms the fascinating backdrop to the novel and also an important element in the lives of the characters.
Some of these elements—the tomb of the Unknown Vagrant, the campaign for environmentally sound “green burials”—could be enjoyably macabre in the hands of an Edward Gorey or a Shirley Jackson, but the author takes them in a different direction. Here they’re simply fascinating details expertly woven into the everyday lives of Ben and his teenage daughter, Cole. The author clearly has a gift for depicting ordinary, likeable characters with compassion and nuance, and giving us a vividly rendered, deeply rooted sense of place.
January 9, 2019
Quirky characters, music, knitting bombs, mushrooms, and green funerals all combine in this gripping novel from Beth Castrodale, In This Ground. It’s part mystery part character study, with multiple intertwining threads and overlapping stories, not to mention that it’s set in a cemetery.
At the center of it all, of course, is Ben, divorced, lonely, with his ambitions of being in a successful rock band long gone to seed, he is the POV character we first meet, and while the story pays more attention to his (dead and buried) former bandmate Nick Graves, and the Unknown Vagrant, whose very existence is a point of contention in the community, it is Ben’s arc that I found most compelling and most poignant.
In truth, though, every plot thread is equally fascinating, and every character is dimensional and interesting, and author Castrodale has woven (or knitted) it all together into a story that begs you to read it, and leaves you hoping for a sequel.
At the center of it all, of course, is Ben, divorced, lonely, with his ambitions of being in a successful rock band long gone to seed, he is the POV character we first meet, and while the story pays more attention to his (dead and buried) former bandmate Nick Graves, and the Unknown Vagrant, whose very existence is a point of contention in the community, it is Ben’s arc that I found most compelling and most poignant.
In truth, though, every plot thread is equally fascinating, and every character is dimensional and interesting, and author Castrodale has woven (or knitted) it all together into a story that begs you to read it, and leaves you hoping for a sequel.
March 2, 2019
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LOVED IT! In This Ground remained me of my favorite Mitch Albom's book, The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto. I want a sequel to In This Ground!
LOVED IT! In This Ground remained me of my favorite Mitch Albom's book, The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto. I want a sequel to In This Ground!
October 10, 2018
You've probably never seen cemeteries from this perspective. I'm very sure you haven't, unless you've worked in groundskeeping or cemetery maintenance, and even then you wouldn't be privy to the lives, pasts, and emotions of such a large cast of characters. In this work of Literary fiction, author Beth Castrodale investigates these lives through the lens of eternal rest, music, love, and the mysterious figure called the "Unknown Vagrant," a historical personage who continually walked a circuit through three states.
December 7, 2018
In This Ground is a wonderful novel of multiple strands, and all of them wind around a specific location: Bolster Hill Cemetery, which is just as much a character as the humans in the novel, most of whom are living, and two of whom have passed on. Bolster Hill is inspired by Boston’s Forest Hills Cemetery, a “garden cemetery” founded in 1848. Castrodale executes her vision with artistry, humor, and insight.
The novel’s main character is gravedigger Ben Dirjery, who quit his indie-rock band, the Vagrants, on the cusp of its rise to stardom, trading it in for fatherhood and the stability of a job at Bolster Hill Cemetery. Now middle aged and divorced, Ben is haunted by the early death of his former band’s lead singer, Vince, who is buried, literally, under Ben’s feet. Vince is a tragic figure, gone too soon; think Kurt Cobain. Vince’s grave is like that of of Jim Morrison’s at Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris, covered nightly with low-rent tributes -- notes, candles, guitar picks, beer bottles, and other rock-fan detritus.
Castrodale defty weaves interrelated plot strands that ultimately come together in satisfying ways. Those threads include the controversy surrounding the exhumation of the grave of of the Unknown Vagrant (the inspiration for the band’s name), a renowned nineteenth-century vagabond; Cole, Ben’s teenage daughter, who also has an interest in music, but doesn’t know that Ben was a founding member of the Vagrants; Peg, who yarn-bombs the cemetery on stealthy late-night runs; Dolores, an elderly woman who gathers mushrooms in the cemetery, and whose interests intersect with Ben’s desire for green burials at Bolster Hill; and Meredith, an anthropologist who thinks there may be a way to get around the exhumation.
As a new gravedigger pressures Ben to play guitar again, Ben’s daughter Cole discovers the Vagrants’ music and begins questioning a past he has tried to bury. If Ben can face her questions, he might put to rest his guilt over his bandmate’s death, and bring music back into his life.
For part of her research for In This Ground, Castrodale interviewed and spent time in a cemetery with a local gravedigger. She also interviewed the director of the Forensic Anthropology Center at Texas State University, St. Marcos, who runs the biggest “body farm” in the US, a “26-acre outdoor human decomposition research laboratory.” She looked deeply into mushrooms and green burials, and examined the financial aspects of cemetery operations. Her careful research infuses the novel and creates a realistic stage for the dramas that unfold across, and under, Bolster Hill.
Ultimately In This Ground is a life-affirming novel about the importance of art, music, and creativity -- as well as a compelling page-turner. Five stars!
The novel’s main character is gravedigger Ben Dirjery, who quit his indie-rock band, the Vagrants, on the cusp of its rise to stardom, trading it in for fatherhood and the stability of a job at Bolster Hill Cemetery. Now middle aged and divorced, Ben is haunted by the early death of his former band’s lead singer, Vince, who is buried, literally, under Ben’s feet. Vince is a tragic figure, gone too soon; think Kurt Cobain. Vince’s grave is like that of of Jim Morrison’s at Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris, covered nightly with low-rent tributes -- notes, candles, guitar picks, beer bottles, and other rock-fan detritus.
Castrodale defty weaves interrelated plot strands that ultimately come together in satisfying ways. Those threads include the controversy surrounding the exhumation of the grave of of the Unknown Vagrant (the inspiration for the band’s name), a renowned nineteenth-century vagabond; Cole, Ben’s teenage daughter, who also has an interest in music, but doesn’t know that Ben was a founding member of the Vagrants; Peg, who yarn-bombs the cemetery on stealthy late-night runs; Dolores, an elderly woman who gathers mushrooms in the cemetery, and whose interests intersect with Ben’s desire for green burials at Bolster Hill; and Meredith, an anthropologist who thinks there may be a way to get around the exhumation.
As a new gravedigger pressures Ben to play guitar again, Ben’s daughter Cole discovers the Vagrants’ music and begins questioning a past he has tried to bury. If Ben can face her questions, he might put to rest his guilt over his bandmate’s death, and bring music back into his life.
For part of her research for In This Ground, Castrodale interviewed and spent time in a cemetery with a local gravedigger. She also interviewed the director of the Forensic Anthropology Center at Texas State University, St. Marcos, who runs the biggest “body farm” in the US, a “26-acre outdoor human decomposition research laboratory.” She looked deeply into mushrooms and green burials, and examined the financial aspects of cemetery operations. Her careful research infuses the novel and creates a realistic stage for the dramas that unfold across, and under, Bolster Hill.
Ultimately In This Ground is a life-affirming novel about the importance of art, music, and creativity -- as well as a compelling page-turner. Five stars!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews