Independence Day

                                          

The Fourth of July is upon us, and soon red, white and blue will fill the skies, punctuated by loud booms and hissing. The sky is not the only place fireworks show up, though. They can be found in novels in which Independence Day can take on deeper meanings:

Richard Ford - Independence Day (1995)

Divorced New Jersey real estate agent Frank Bascombe has high expectations for the upcoming Fourth of July. Frank's day, however, does not turn out as planned, and Independence Day takes on the mystery of life’s surprising twists and turns.

Charles Baxter – First Light (1987)

Baxter’s first novel begins with a Fourth of July celebration in this story about an astrophysicist and her brother, a once promising athlete who is now a car salesman. Chapter by chapter, the story moves back in time through the siblings' college years, adolescence and finally, childhood. Baxter’s unusual strategy helps readers understand the events that shaped their lives.

Jill McCorkle - Ferris Beach (1990)

This coming of age novel is set in a small southern town. Kate and Misty grow up together, sharing secrets about everything until a fateful Fourth of July when their lives change forever.

Garrison Keillor – Liberty: A Lake Wobegon Novel  (2008)

A national holiday in Lake Wobegon is always gaudy and joyful. But when the major planner behind the Fourth of July parade and the twenty-four-year-old girl who dresses up as the Statue of Liberty develop a close "friendship," rumors begin to fly.

Jeffrey Stepakoff – Fireworks Over Toccoa (2010)

 An unexpected discovery takes eighty-four-year-old Lily Woodward to 1945, and the five days that forever changed her life. Married for only a week before her husband was sent to fight in WWII, Lily is anxious for his return and the chance to begin their life together. The small Georgia town of Toccoa plans to honor the soldiers with a big celebration, and Italian immigrant Jake Russo, also back from war, is responsible for the elaborate fireworks display. But after a chance encounter, he steals Lily's heart and soul.