Round the Block: An American Novel

The story opens on a quiet New Year’s Day, introducing a peculiar city block split into two worlds. On the east side, four polished brownstone mansions stand like sealed monuments, their curtains forever drawn and doors never opened, suggesting a life of ceremony hidden behind immaculate façades. Directly opposite, the west side bustles with modest brick houses, their lower floors alive with shops—a dry‑goods store, a boot‑maker, an apothecary, and a host of other trades that spill onto the sidewalks in a colorful display of everyday commerce.

Beneath the orderly roofs, a subtle rivalry simmers among the residents, from contests over window curtains to the placement of ornamental urns. A growing colony of doctors has begun to cluster in the middle of the block, hinting at a network of professional camaraderie that may shape the community’s future. As the day unfolds, listeners are invited to wander the block’s contrasting scenes and listen to the whispered stories of its concealed inhabitants.