Many thanks to Betsy Maury who reviewed The Latecomers so thoughtfully and in-depth that I learned a few things about my own book…

“Drawn as I am to narratives of place, I read with great pleasure Helen Klein Ross’s new book,
The Latecomers, a sweeping novel that takes place in rural Connecticut over the course of a
century from the industrial boom times through 2016. The novel toggles back and forth to New
York City and Ireland where some of the characters begin and end, but the bulk of the story
takes place in an ancestral home in a pastoral but progressive Connecticut town named
Wellington. The Latecomers tells the story of the Hollingworth family, a widowed patriarch, his
four children and their intertwined history with an Irish maid and her illegitimate child. At the
center of the drama is Benjamin Hollingworth’s unexpected death in 1926.
Almost immediately, The Latecomers evokes particular characteristics of small northwest
Connecticut towns in the early part of the century. The rituals of rural life mixing together with
the wealth of metals manufacturing; the coexistence of the landed gentry and an immigrant
working class. Rural Connecticut was then genteel, progressive, close to nature yet tethered to
the sophistication of New York and at the forefront of the manufacturing economy. This clear
identity of Wellington is due to Ross’s exhaustive research on the history, manners and rhythms
of the period and her steadfast attention to detail. From digging in microfiche records of small
New England newspapers, to researching manufacturing and architectural design to consulting
local descendents of historic homes, Ross set her mind to create a truly authentic setting for her
family drama to unfold. The list of sources in the bibliography gives some indication of her
extensive reference material, but she equally credits Edith Wharton, Jack Finney and Alice
McDermott– all novelists of period–as inspiration for this work.

The Hollingworths live in a place that looks much like Lakeville, in a stately house on a lake
called Hollingwood where the family enjoys panoramic views and comfortable rooms with the
latest conveniences. The family holds a prominent place in Wellington society, marching in the
Decoration Day parade, picnicing at the Town Grove and patronizing local causes. All the small
town characters are in Wellington–the coachman and doctor, the barber and dressmaker.
Churches–both Catholic and Protestant–play a vital role in local life. In 1909 at the outset of the
story, the brass manufacturing business in Wellington is booming.
Though many things like the Black Hart boarding house or Trowbridge, the “school across the
lake” will look familiar to locals, Ross cautions the reader that “the characters and the town they
occupy are works of fiction, not disguised biography”. What interested Ross in creating The
Latecomers, her third novel but first work of historical fiction, were the tangible, daily patterns of
living that defined people in history. Historical fiction demands these mundane circumstances
inform characters, explain relationships or motivate decisions. This is really the best way to
enjoy Ross’s new work: see the familiar Connecticut you know as a backdrop, appreciate the
details and meet the characters afresh on their own terms. Ross told me over coffee at
Provisions that it took great discipline to not go down the rabbit hole in the research for this
book. She found the details of the fashion trends of 1909, the business of installing electricity in
historic houses or advancements in child birthing all so interesting that she found in the end, she
tossed out much of her writing that just did not advance the story. The Latecomers is first and
foremost a work of fiction, which Ross claims is “the best conduit of truth”.

Throughout The Latecomers, Ross visits themes she’s grappled with in earlier works, such as
motherhood, both real and reconstructed. She is interested in motherhood as a motivator–the
fact of it, the lack of it and the desire for it. Ross has crafted a couple of singular mothers here
who propel much of the story in The Latecomers, each well-regarded and strong but at odds
with her prescribed role in society. The weight of motherhood and the consequences of
missteps for these two cast a shadow on the three generations of Hollingworths. Social
boundaries too–who is afforded the benefit of the doubt and why–are another theme Ross
explores in The Latecomers and the book reads as much like a social history as a novel with
each new generation exploring the expectations of society, their connection to family and
Hollingwood. As each generation of Hollingworth pulls further from rural Wellington, the house
and its history remain a subject of uneven interest among descendants. For some, it’s a site of
arcane ephemera disconnected from modern life, for others it’s a place to breathe the air of their
ancestors and piece together their own family history. For Helen Klein Ross, a historic house in
rural Connecticut proved to be the incubator of a story about quite a few things that have kept
her interest as a writer–history, family, motherhood. For the rest of us in sight of crumbling
history around us, rubble waits for a good story.” –Betsy Maury, Main Street magazine, November 2018