I haven’t posted in a couple of weeks because I have been reading a book that required a slower pace of reading, Gilead: A Novel that won the Pulitzer more than a decade ago. Thank you to my sister-in-law for handing this book to me a couple of weeks ago.

The lyrical novel reads as a letter from a dying 67-year-old minister, John Ames, to his young son. He reflects on his love for his family; he confronts his own perceived shortcomings and jealousies and moves towards forgiveness and acceptance.

While telling the details of a life, the book celebrates simple aspects as well as big ideas.

There is not much funny in this book but I did mark this passage where he reflects on the specific food items brought to his house by well wishers:

“There was even a bean salad, which to me looked distinctly Presbyterian, so anxiety had overspilled its denominational vessel. You’d have thought I died. We saved it for lunch.”

I mentioned this is a slower read…it probably shouldn’t be rushed through, but at the end I found myself rushing a bit to see if what I thought was “going to happen” happened, but it did not. There is some surprise and drama towards the end that helps a reader (and the narrator) reframe the earlier parts, but it’s not as big of a bombshell as I was working my mind towards (maybe I have been reading too many domestic thrillers??).

I did find myself skimming some of the more religious parts – as I am a secular humanist – but I was still able to appreciate the spiritual aspects of the book. I especially loved the passages that reflected on this amazing and beautiful world, many of which also contained more ordinary thoughts.

“It was one day as I listened to baseball that it occurred to me how the moon actually moves, in a spiral, because while it orbits the earth it also follows the orbit of the earth around the sun. This is obvious but the realization pleased me. There was a full moon outside my window, icy white in a blue sky, and the Cubs were playing Cincinnati.”

Being from the Midwest, I especially loved this next passage I’m quoting, which is also a good example about how the scripture and religion in this book is not overwhelming even if you are not particularly religious:

“I love the prairie! So often I have seen the dawn come and the light flood over the land and everything turn radiant at once, that word “good” so profoundly affirmed in my soul that I am amazed I should be allowed to witness such a thing. There may have been a more wonderful first moment ‘when the morning stars sung together and all the sons of God shouted for joy,’ but for all I know to the contrary, they still do sing and should, and they certainly might well. Here on the prairie there is nothing to distract attention from the evening and the morning, nothing on the horizon to abbreviate or delay. Mountains would seem an impertinence from that point of view.”

I have since learned there are two more books in this series; the second one,  Home: A Novel is from the perspective of the other household in this story (the house of Presbyterian minster and John Ames’ best friend) and the third, Lila: A Novelfrom the perspective of the wife (both set at the same moment in the same setting!!). This is really intriguing to me – three books from different perspectives- so I hope to read them at some point.

This trilogy would be a great gift for a more spiritual or religious reader.

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