The Operator: A Novel
by Gretchen Berg
The early 1950’s in Wooster, Ohio is the setting for this debut novel. Vivian Dalton is a switchboard operator who has a penchant for eavesdropping on telephone conversations. The operators are not supposed to listen in on conversations, but they all do. When a rumor about Vivian’s husband is discussed over the phone lines, it’s not fun anymore. Vivian needs to find out who is spreading the rumor and if there is any truth to it. Vivian does not confront her husband initially but attempts to discover the truth on her own. Has she been living a lie?
My grandmother and great aunt were both switchboard operators in McHenry County, North Dakota during the early 1920’s. I wonder if they passed their workdays eavesdropping too. I never thought to ask.
A fun quick cozy read that I highly recommend.
~Emma
Read it or Weep 