Among the Common

By: Margo Haas

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Stray dogs, stray bullets and a run-down row house are Paula Mathey’s new reality. Her husband has disappeared into the night, taking their life savings and what was their future with him. With no skills and even fewer resources, Paula is forced to move quickly. AMONG THE COMMON is a novel set in the lower income area of a warehouse district of Cleveland. Paula lands a job as manager of a string of row houses, but her life takes an unexpected turn when she is embraced by a group of African refugees known as the Lost Boys of Sudan, whose isolation in many ways seem to parallel her own. In her new role, Paula tries to protect herself and her neighbors from the callous and self-serving owner of their run-down rentals. Meanwhile every search for her husband comes up empty. This story illuminates the gaps in humankind and the bridges that follow, both arising from years of struggle—from the African savanna to the back streets of a changing America.