The Lager Queen of Minnesota

Sisters. I was unprepared to be blown away by J. Ryan Stradal’s novel titled, The Lager Queen of Minnesota. Many finely written novels hold up mirrors to human behavior in ways that offer great insight into our human condition. This novel does that in spades. Additionally, Stradal gently delves into family dynamics that involve estrangement, income inequality and the deep desire to work at doing a job that is recognized and rewarded. The dynamics between sisters Edith and Helen are revealed in gradual ways throughout the novel. One came to beer early in life, and the other later, in different ways. But don’t think of this as a book about beer. This is in the category of the finest novels: it’s an exploration of what it means to lead a good life. Since the novel is set in Minnesota, it’s no spoiler to reveal that leading a good life has something to do with being nice. Every few years there seems to be a novel that captures the issues of the day. For 2019, and for me, this is that novel. Rating: Five-star (I love it) Click here to purchase The Lager Queen of Minnesota from amazon.com.