Books like Time Will Darken It

4 and 1/2 starsWilliam Maxwell's works contain the elements in fiction that I love: interiority; lovely, empathetic prose; and quotable passages that illuminate the universal. He understands human nature, from 4-year-old Abbey to the elderly, forgetful Mr. Ellis; from the quietly ambitious spinster sisters to the people-pleasing, slightly insecure, main character. Maxwell seems to understand us all, from the petty resentments we feel when our good deeds are misunderstood to those tenuous, fleeting moments when we feel truly connected to another.Not until near the end does anything much seem to happen (which was fine with me, I loved the beginning and middle too), but that's deceptive, and perhaps a typical misunderstanding of life in a small town, because within its people resides a wide range of emotions that lead to quiet, though not necessarily benign, actions, and sometimes non-actions. In the last few pages a loose end was too tightly tied up for my taste, while I thought a stray ribbon on that same bow might've been lengthened, but that's a quibble, as I'm still in love.I think I've read enough of Maxwell now to add him to my short list of favorite writers, which means I want to read him all. I'm on my way ...