Local author Erwin D. Riedner to hold book signing in Wooster

Meet local author Erwin D. Riedner at a book signing event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 7 in the Wooster Community Hospital atrium as he celebrates the release of his newest work, “The Black Squirrel, Pieter Bruegel, Claude Monet," subtitled "Portrait of and Lament for a Midwest College Town,” marking his return to the American literary community.

The novel blends art history, social satire, political drama, humor and witches into an intimate story set in a fictional yet plausible small Midwest college town.

The story follows Athena and Ryle Magali, a retired nurse and a retired sea captain, who purchase and restore an aging Victorian bed-and-breakfast after the previous owners meet a tragic end. As the couple revitalizes what becomes The Black Squirrel Inn, they become part of a close-knit community where political and moral tensions simmer beneath the town’s surface and ultimately lead to tragedy.

The couple forms a friendship with the town’s mayor, D. Roy Holder, and his wife, Skye Holder, a talented but vulnerable artist. With encouragement from the Magalis and support from her husband, Skye opens an art gallery called “Impression, Sunrise,” named after the Claude Monet painting. The gallery features both traditional and controversial works, drawing admiration as well as backlash from members of the community.

Opposition intensifies as local politician Donald J. Fiszer and storefront preacher Zebediah Pilbeam organize protests and acts of vandalism against the gallery. The conflict escalates into broader political and religious tensions, affecting Skye and her co-artist and friend Maggie Haberman, who faces antisemitism.

The novel explores themes of freedom, intolerance and the struggle between compassion and authoritarianism, reflecting broader social and political dynamics in contemporary America.

Inspired by Pieter Bruegel’s “The Fall of Icarus” and Claude Monet’s “Impression, Sunrise,” the story draws on the author’s interpretation of these works to examine the values of kindness, goodwill and freedom in the face of ignorance and ambition.

Riedner said he hopes readers take away “the responsibility of all of us to strive for and practice goodwill and kindness toward our fellows, and to hope to live in harmony with all of them. We are responsible for treating every person with respect and consideration. When we or others do not, the result can be misery and the tragedy that ends the book.”

The book is dedicated to Riedner’s wife, Susan, and to the volunteers at Wooster Community Hospital.