DJ is a widower in his mid-50s who is still in the process of grieving his late wife Belinda. When his landlord notifies him that they are selling the building, DJ cannot afford another place on his own and has no choice but to move in with his sister Connie and her 11-year-old daughter Elise. Little does he know, Connie is in the process of divorcing her former-addict husband David. Hence, DJ enters a situation where he needs to give something money can’t buy – himself. Provenance by Sue Mell explores the way various characters deal with loss, the process of moving on from what they thought would be permanent, and what they need from each other the most. 

DJ spent first few years as a widower using up his wife’s insurance money to collect guitars and compose music. He also coped with the sudden vacancy by continuing to shop local sales and markets that they used to go to together. The reader gets to know DJ via his self-reflections on his love life outside of his marriage (before and during), as well as how he is dealing with his current to-do list. He has a huge collection of old records and sentimental items that belonged to his wife, among other things, and he simply can’t bring himself to get rid of any of it. 

Consequently, he enlists the help of a friend to move his belongings to a storage unit for him since he can’t take everything with him to his sister’s half-finished basement. His sister, on the other hand, has bigger fish to fry with leaving David, and how it will impact Elise’s well-being. DJ’s timing is seemingly convenient for this situation – having no job, he is recruited into being a second caregiver for his niece. But there’s still the largest task on his to-do list – going through the storage unit piled high with junk from the life he built with his wife. 

Provenance, if anything, is an easy-breezy beach read. The pacing is slow but the sentiments are there. Readers who have experienced a similar loss – whether it be death of a spouse, divorce, or a child caught in the split – will be able to relate to the feelings that Mell has described in her characters. 

Personally, this book lacked any significant action or climactic moment (for me at least), and at times it was a struggle to finish. Seeing as Mell’s background is in short stories, I can see why her talents didn’t naturally shine the same way in a longer piece. Additionally, I’m not even sure that I liked DJ as a person (but I was still rooting for him). I’m more sure that I didn’t like David as a person (I didn’t care about him). Connie and Elise, on the other hand, made up for the men’s lack of appeal. It’s very much possible that I’m simply not the intended audience for this work, so readers are free to take my opinion as they will. 

Sue Mell joins us for a Cantina Conversation where we talk about her experience writing her first book and how it differs from her previous works, and how she explored loss and renewal with her characters. Keep an ear out for an upcoming episode of The Nerd Cantina Show podcast and order Provenance, available now.