Oddertown is a small, fictional village in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom that actually seems quite real. In Gary Meffe's debut novel, The Wizard of Odd, life in Oddertown orbits around its tiny general store and the colorful characters who eat, drink and hold court there on nearly every topic under the sun.
"General stores are often the lifeblood of a town," Meffe said in an interview with VPR. "They're the epicenter, they're where everything happens."
The author told VPR that Odderton's store isn't based on a particular one he has encountered, but rather on a blend of personal experiences.
"My wife and I moved to Vermont 12 years ago. We love the state, we've traveled it extensively. We visit general stores and country stores wherever we go," Meffe said. "We stop and talk to people and listen and observe, and all of that — including, and especially, my hometown of Brandon — all comes together I think in this book."
In the novel, the main character Kate — who has inherited the country store from her grandfather — has to save the business, which is facing a large amount of debt. Kate looks to Jim Watson, the titular "wizard," to potentially help her in this endeavor.
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While the Odderton store is fictional, Meffe noted that many similar stores in the state do struggle and this book can remind readers of that.
"It's, I think, a call to Vermonters to pay attention," Meffe said, "not only to their country stores, but all their small local businesses, and really support them and keep them going."
Listen to Meffe's extended conversation with VPR's Mitch Wertlieb above. The author will be reading from The Wizard of Odd on Friday at 3 p.m. as part of the Bookstock festival in Woodstock.
