Religion | Book Chatter

Benediction
By Kent Haruf
(Knopf, Hardcover, 9780307959881, Feb 2013, 272pp.)

The Short of It:

A large, yet quiet novel on life and death.

The Rest of It:

This is probably one of the hardest reviews I’ve ever written for this blog because this book was both huge (on many levels) but at the same time almost too quiet for me to even remark on.

The story takes place in the fictional town of Holt, Colorado. Dad Lewis is 77-years-old and has just been diagnosed with cancer. He hasn’t much time left, so his wife Mary is tasked with keeping him comfortable. On the surface, she handles this news the way any good wife would but when she faints from stress and ends up in the hospital for a few days, Dad Lewis is left to fend for himself. During this time, he is looked in on by the neighbor across the way and her young granddaughter. The girl, only 6-years-old is curious about him but also scared of someone as old at him. Especially someone who is dying. But Dad Lewis takes a liking to her. Perhaps it’s her wide-eyed innocence or that she reminds him of his own kids. Nevertheless, he welcomes her visits.

Once Mary is released from the hospital, their daughter Lorraine comes to help but the absence of the estranged son Frank, is felt by everyone, most notably Dad Lewis. Frank’s homosexuality proved to be too much for Dad Lewis to accept but as his days dwindle, Dad Lewis regrets his past actions, only to realize that it’s too late to do anything about them. His emotional pain is most evident during his quiet conversations with the young girl.

There are other players in this story but I was most interested in Dad Lewis and his immediate family. A man coming to terms with his own death is a pretty heavy topic. It’s both sad and enlightening, heartfelt but lonely. As a reader, it’s easy to get caught-up in the day-to-day aspects of pain management, the intake of food, etc. But in between the minutiae, is the fact that this man is spending his last hours appreciating what he has but also regretting what he lost. The loss of time is tragic and it leaves you with a heavy heart, to say the least.

I recommend this book to anyone who has ever questioned their past actions. It’s definitely a book that will make you think and the writing, is at times, breathtakingly beautiful.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

A Land More Kind Than Home
By Wiley Cash
(William Morrow Paperbacks, Paperback, 9780062088239, Jan 2013, 336pp.)

The Short of It:

While this story had me sitting on the edge of my seat, wondering how it would all end, it fell flat for me.

The Rest of It:

It’s garnered a lot of praise so I was a little surprised when I closed the book and felt less than impressed. But in all honestly, this book has everything that I normally enjoy in a book, but perhaps it had to do with timing. I had just finished a rather meaty book and the other book was still bouncing around in my head. Perhaps this contributed to my feelings over this book?? Either way, I’ll try to give it a fair shake here.

Jess and Christopher live in the small town of Marshall. Jess is the adventurous one and very protective of his mute, older brother Christopher. Christopher, thought to be slower than the other boys is often called Stump and when Stump witnesses something he shouldn’t, the results are disastrous for all involved.

The story is told by multiple narrators, Jess, Adelaide Lyle, the town’s midwife and Clem Barefield, the sheriff. As the midwife, Adelaide delivered many of the town’s children and because of that, she knows most of the kids and is familiar with their families. At least enough to know how they tick. When the town’s pastor, Carson Chambliss performs a snake charming ritual that goes wrong, Adelaide takes it upon herself to move the children to a separate Sunday school in order to protect them from what is going on in the main church. It’s clear from her actions, that although she doesn’t approve of what Chambliss is preaching, she is trying to respect his beliefs and the beliefs of others. But even with protection, something goes terribly wrong and Jess is left to deal with the heartache.

I think the main problem I had with this story is that I felt as if I was reading the story from a distance. I never really felt as if I got to know any of the characters, except perhaps Adelaide. She rang the most true to me out of the bunch and I enjoyed reading her parts of the story. The other thing that I didn’t care for, that I rarely care for in any book, is the strong religious aspect. I am a believer, but this book bordered on fanaticism and I just didn’t care for it.

What I liked though, and what I felt worked, were the alternating chapters. Had my brain been free to really focus on this book, I think I would have enjoyed it more as I did feel moments of intense emotion but in the end, it never hit the “love” mark for me.

Source: Borrowed.
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

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