John Smolens' novel, DAY OF DAYS, is a fictionalized account of the 1927 bombing of the consolidated school in the small farming community of Bath, Michigan. It is told mostly by Bea Turcott, looking back at that day as an old woman, and remembering her life on that fateful day. At fourteen, she was one of the survivors of the bombing, carefully planned and carried out by a disturbed and disgruntled neighbor. Smolens skillfully portrays the lives of the townspeople, and particularly the Turcotts and the Brownes, two families whose lives impinged closely on that of the bomber, Andrew Kehoe, and his invalid wife. Although the novel starts slowly, the prose that sets the stage for the heinous act is beautiful enough to keep you engaged, and then the narrative really gets rolling and catches you up in the action of the bombing itself and the events that followed.

Smolens is no newcomer to historical fiction. Two of his best are THE ANARCHIST and WOLF'S MOUTH. Now you can add this one to the list. Very highly recommended.

- Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir, BOOKLOVER ( )

The Day of Days was March 18, 1927. The place was the small farm town of Bath, Michigan.

Andrew Kehoe blew up the Bath Consolidated School, killing 44 people, including 38 schoolchildren--one of the worst terrorist acts in American history. He murdered his wife and horses and blew his farm and himself up while he was at it.

John Smolens has wrapped this horrific event in a novel of great beauty and wisdom through the experience of surviving school children.

After WWI the chemical companies were left with stockpiles of explosives which they sold to farmers to help them clear fields.

Andrew Kehoe was smart and inventive. He studied electrical engineering. After an accident left him in a coma his personality changed. His wife inherited a Bath farm but Kehoe found himself in financial straits. He blamed the tax burden for the new school.

In Smolens' novel, Kehoe hires the boy Jed. He takes Jed with him as he removes tree stump with explosives. Jed was impressed by this farmer who wore a suit.

Bea, the narrator of the novel, works for Mrs. Kehoe. She tells her story from her death bed, of life before the incident, the horror of that day, and the broken lives it left behind. There is survivor's guilt, broken people carrying on, and eventual healing.

I first heard of the Bath school bombing when living in Lansing. Smolens fills the novel with Michigan places and references. Kehoe travels to Lansing and eat at Emil's Italian restaurant, a place we knew well. The children are given Vernors ginger ale. The historical setting is given, the innovative changes happening in science. Electricity. Biplanes. Lindbergh's famous Atlantic crossing concluded while citizens were frantically looking for survivors.

I loved Smolens writing and how he handled this story. Accurate in historical details, Smolens demonstrates the benefit of fiction's ability to delve into the depth of human experience to bring the past to life.

I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased. ( )