I saw a Tumblr post that said “hometowns have a thousand little ghosts pushing up through the pavement that trip you up wherever you go” and I thought yes, this is what Calahan Skogman captures so beautifully in his debut novel Blue Graffiti. 

Blue Graffiti is the story of Cash, a young man living in the small town of Johnston, Wisconsin. Cash has lived all his life in this small town where nothing ever seems to change. And this seemingly unremarkable place is witness to all the highs and lows he had ever experienced. Carrying grief and nostalgia with him, Cash is a lonely soul with a lot of love in his heart–love for his friends, for the Midwest, and for the only place he has ever called home. When a beautiful stranger rolls up, he is automatically smitten. It’s as if he has been searching for her without even realizing it. But Cash has to grapple with the ghosts of his past before he can have an honest answer to her question: “What do you want?”

Steeped in quiet moments and the romanticizing of small-town life, I couldn’t help but feel time slow down as I was reading. This book is beautifully written, so vivid, so poetic. The imagery Skogman conjures with his words paints such a beautiful picture of a quiet life in small-town America. I just know that if I had a physical copy of this book, it would be highlighted and annotated to death. 

This book is labeled as romance, but I disagree because the romance isn’t the main thing in this book. It’s more about Cash’s journey. So much of what happens is interior: his thoughts and feelings, his changing perspectives, his relationships with his friends, his relationship with his past. So if you read this don’t expect a sweeping or dramatic love story. Skogman’s take on romance is a lot more subtle, but I find there’s something so sweet in the gentle assurance that develops between Cash and Rose.

The way the book is structured might also be a bit of a challenge for readers. It took me a while to get used to the sometimes choppy transition from one chapter to the next. There is also the shift between the meandering pace when Cash is deep in his reflections versus the quick conversations he has with his friends. But I grew to appreciate these contrasts, especially in moments where Cash shares stories from his childhood which neatly flow back to the present.

Cash reminded me of Dostoyevsky’s narrator in White Nights (another book I loved) because of how they feel so deeply and how they both appreciate the connection they have with the place where they live.  And if you were moved by Dostoyevsky’s little dreamer, then you will also fall i love with how Cash–and by extension Skogman–describes the world.

As a “slow/quiet/pensive book” enthusiast, I loved reading Blue Graffiti. Many thanks to Net Galley and Unnamed Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Blue Graffiti hits the shelves on August 13.