Vera by Carol Edgarian

I had lived in San Francisco only two months when the 1989 earthquake hit. I was on the second floor of an office building on the corner of Geary and Grant. As people flooded into the streets following the quake, the air was filled at first with fear, but quickly transformed into an incredible community. The days and months that followed that camaraderie grew even stronger, and that is one of the reasons I have never left this small city. It measures just seven miles by seven miles. In 1989, I would not help but think about the pictures I had seen from San Francisco's 1906 earthquake, and this is the territory of Carol Edgarian's latest novel "Vera." Edgarian, author of "Rise the Euphrates" and "Three Stages of Amazement," is not only a writer but also co-founder, editor and publisher of "Narrative Magazine.” I have known Carol for more than 20 years, and "Vera" is a shining example of what a talented, soulful writer she is. "Vera" is the coming-of-age story of a 15-year-old girl, an illegitimate daughter of Rose, a notorious proprietor of San Francisco's legendary bordello. Vera has grown up skating between her mother's dark yet glamorous world and the quiet domestic life of the family who is raising her. Vera's worlds collide the morning of the tragic 1906 earthquake. With many of the city's building destroyed and a fire threatening the rest of the town, Vera and her sister Pie set out on foot, determined to survive. Like the 1989 emergence that came after it, Vera and Pie begin to bond with a group of rag-tag survivors as they try to put their lives back together again. The work of fiction includes many of San Francisco's real-life colorful characters of the time including tenor Enrico Caruso, indicted mayor Eugene Schmitz, boss Abe Ruef and tabloid celebrity Alma Spreckels. "Vera" demonstrates how a catastrophe can not only make people stronger, but also it can bring them together. I highly recommend this historical novel that so beautifully captures the spirit of Vera and our city by the bay. You can buy this book from your local book shop or on Amazon by clicking here.