I haven’t read Katherine Heiny’s two previous books. But after coming across numerous glowing reviews of her earlier novel and short story collection, I was eager to check out her new offering, EARLY MORNING RISER.

We meet Jane in 2002, shortly after she has moved to Boyne City, a small town in northern Michigan. She quickly strikes up a romance with handsome, charming Duncan after locking herself out of her new house and needing a locksmith. But as Jane soon learns, she’s hardly the first woman to follow this path. It turns out that Duncan has been romantically linked with practically every woman in Boyne City and the surrounding communities. He’s even still on (very) friendly terms with his ex-wife Addie, and continues to do odd jobs for her and her extraordinarily clueless second husband. Duncan is generous and kind, especially in his approach to Jimmy, a developmentally disabled man whom he employs as an assistant at his woodworking shop. But Jane can never quite shake the feeling that Duncan is just biding his time with her until his next girlfriend comes along.

"EARLY MORNING RISER will leave readers feeling hopeful and optimistic, but it never crosses the line into sentimentality."

When Jane learns that Duncan is not remotely interested in pursuing marriage again, she decides to break things off and marry someone else. But when, on the eve of her wedding, a tragedy strikes, the circumstances draw Jane back into the orbit of Duncan, Jimmy, Addie and others in ways that would have been unimaginable back when she first moved to this small town.

The book covers more than a decade in the lives of Jane, Duncan and their friends, neighbors and colleagues. By the end of the novel, readers will feel like they’ve come to know this place and these people. In many ways, Jane’s story is also the story of a small community, both evolving and yet remaining somehow the same. It’s also the portrait of a relationship, one that perhaps has to stretch before it’s ready, and the gradual ebb and flow of trust that builds between two people --- especially when one of them is Duncan.

EARLY MORNING RISER will leave readers feeling hopeful and optimistic, but it never crosses the line into sentimentality. This is due partly to Jane’s wry sense of humor, especially as she hilariously describes her work as a second-grade teacher or when she realizes how much she’s become part of Boyne City, almost without realizing it’s happened. Some of the chapters were previously published as short stories, which makes sense --- they’re full of the kind of careful word choice and well-crafted descriptions that are the hallmarks of great short fiction, such as this passage describing Jane’s love of thrift stores: “Jane loved the other things --- the intricate dessert glasses and chunky cookie jars and patchwork quilts and out-of-date leather jackets and sweatshirts so soft and faded that looking at them made you crave sherbet.”

Although the novel’s chronology (and certainly its emotional heart) is expansive, it’s also full of small moments like this, writing that is worth slowing down to savor. I’ll definitely be checking out Heiny’s other works now that I’ve been introduced to this funny, observant and very original writer.