The Gentle New Novel: Heft

At over 500 pounds, Arthur Opp has not left his house in many years and his life has been one of solitude until he receives a phone call from Charlene. He hasn’t seen her in almost twenty years but in those years they had written each other. For Arthur, this is his most important relationship, while Charlene she needs help with her son, Kel.

Kel is about to graduate from high school, but his dreams are baseball not college. He’s also an outsider after Charlene found a way for him to go to a rich school away from their poorer neighborhood. She wants Kel to go to college, but she can’t help him and Arthur is her last hope.

In Heft by Liz Moore it’s not just physical burdens that can trap people, but also emotional barriers that can isolate lives. This is a gentle story told by both Arthur and Kel as both try to forge a new future and to connect with each other.