Charleston, SC, May 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — When a retired lawyer relocates to a small town in western Massachusetts, he seeks only peace and quiet. But as he settles into his new life, he learns that the community he hopes to call home is embroiled in anti-government sentiment fueled by a local gun club. His efforts to lead a tranquil life are met with powerful opposition when aspects of his past resurface: a former client and mafia underling attempts to strongarm him into a money-laundering scheme; his ex-wife, an art gallery owner in Boston, attempts to reenter his life; his daughters, struggling with their higher education pursuits, are estranged. As his past comes crashing down, the world before him erupts into chaos and a real-life reenactment of Shays’ Rebellion.
Through it all the protagonist finds comfort in the poetry of Robert Frost, a lens through which he interprets his isolation and disconnection. As his sense of alienation grows, he must confront questions of identity and life’s meaning. The book features thrilling sequences, philosophical reflections, and more than a few darkly comedic laughs.
In Hilldale takes readers on a gripping journey through times and places close to the hearts of New Englanders. Rich with Americana and set against the backdrop of the Trump era, Bullen’s narrative blends themes of political upheaval and family turmoil with poignant reflections on personal identity and the pursuit of solace. With richly drawn characters and unpredictable twists the novel captures the tension between chaos and order, stability and revolution, individualism and the pull of the past.
In Hilldale is available for purchase online at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.
About the Author
Bruce Bullen is the author of Under the Dome, a collection of short narratives about government. Several short stories of his have appeared in literary journals. In Hilldale is his debut novel. Bullen is a retired health care executive who lives in Massachusetts. He shares his life with his wife, Maria, their three adult children, and five grandchildren.
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