Free Audiobook : Buckeye, by Patrick Ryan

In the small Ohio town of Bonhomie, where everyone feels like they’ve crossed paths at some point, a single moment in 1945 sets off a ripple that changes lives forever. Cal Jenkins, stuck running the family hardware store because of a limp that kept him out of the war, meets Margaret Salt, a woman with a past she’s trying to outrun. Their fleeting connection, born in the flush of victory after World War II, carries a weight neither could have imagined, pulling their families into a decades-long dance of secrets and truths.

As the years roll on, from the postwar boom to the shadow of Vietnam, the consequences of that moment weave through the lives of Cal’s wife, Becky, who hears whispers from the dead, and Margaret’s husband, Felix, a Navy man carrying his own quiet burdens. Their children, Skip and Tom, grow up in a town where nothing stays hidden for long, grappling with the echoes of choices made before they were born. Bonhomie becomes a crucible for love, loss, and the messy search for forgiveness, where every heart carries its own unspoken story.

Patrick Ryan’s Buckeye is a heartfelt saga that captures the soul of small-town America, blending humor, compassion, and a touch of the mystical. With characters so real they feel like neighbors, this audiobook pulls you into a world where the past is never truly past, and the longing for connection binds us all. Narrated with warmth and nuance, it’s a story that lingers, inviting you to reflect on the hidden ties that shape a life.