Tragedy at the Bunch of Grapes Bookstore

Tragedy struck Main Street, Vineyard Haven, the morning of the Fourth of July. Shortly after a morning visit and champagne toast at my grandmother’s grave with friends and family (her birthday is 4th of July), I learned that a terrible fire had erupted from Cafe Moxie on the little one-way strip of Main Street in my home town. For bibliophiles, the even grimmer news was that the fire had spread to, and ruined, the adjoining store: The Bunch of Grapes Bookstore. This business has been an island institution for as long as I can remember. I bought my favorite book there (The Phantom Tollbooth) when I was 10, and I still have the little marker stuck to the back cover saying I bought it at the Bunch of Grapes. My first-ever author appearance was there, as was my most recent one (for Crossed). I have a photo of the devastation but I’m choosing not to put it up, as that would feel to me a bit like rubber-necking. I feel as if I’ve lost a member of my family. My heart goes out to the Nelson family, who own both building and business, and I hope Jon Nelson (who happens to be a classmate of mine – we’re a small community here!) is able to re-open the business. Send them good thoughts.