The Operator

The Operator by Gretchen Berg. New York: William Morrow, 2020. 357 pages. **

 In a small town, everyone knows everyone else’s business . . .

It's 1952 and nobody knows the people of Wooster, Ohio, better than a switchboard operator. Vivian Dalton claims to know people,  she calls it intuition. Her teenage daughter, Charlotte, calls it eavesdropping. Vivian is always interested in the latest gossip until it includes her husband.

Vivian and the other women who work at Bell on East Liberty Street aren’t supposed to listen in on conversations, but they do. Vivian and snob Betty Miller each have secrets to hide and and will do anything to protect their families. 

I received a copy of this book as my September read for The Bee Keepers- The Book Hive Book Club. I worked as a switch board operator in the early 70s so I looked forward to reading this book. As an operator, I did not listen to conversations, nor did I have any inclination to do so. The book is an easy read, gossipy, small town drama, and some 50s cultural references. My only problem is trying to decide the intent of the author--humor, family dynamics, relationships, greed, lies, and/or the consequences of one's actions. It didn't really go anywhere for me. The plot had great potential, however, it seemed to fizzle out.

Gretchen Berg was born on the East Coast, raised in the Midwest, and spent a number of years in the Pacific Northwest. She has taught English in South Korea and in Northern Iraq and has traveled to all the other continents. A graduate of Iowa State University, she lives in Chicago, Illinois. The Operator is her first novel. For more information, https://www.harpercollins.com/blogs/authors/gretchen-berg

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