Dear Misfits,
I am pleased to report, we have another winner! Gilead
by Marilynne Robinson was warmly praised by all who read it. I
personally found it to be one of the most moving books I have ever read.
Misfit Loome places it in the top five novels he has read. We all want to
thank Misfit Gatschet for recommending the book.
Why the high praise? Simply because Robinson's prose
is completely captivating--the woman can tell a story! And the story is
told in a letter the Reverend John Ames, a 77 year old Congressionalist
preacher, is writing to his 6 year-old son. It is his attempt to give an
account of himself to his son as he tells him of
his forebears, all men of the cloth. It is also a story of the
sacred bonds formed by fathers and sons and the manner in which they are
tested by the challenges imposed by these bonds.
As you begin to read the letter Reverend Ames is
composing for his son, you learn that he is physically ailing even though
he is still mentally sharp. His letter reveals him as
a deeply pious man who considers the Bible an incontrovertible source
of moral authority. He describes life as “the great bright dream of procreating
and perishing.” and speaks of the “courage and loneliness” of every human
face.
I am tempted to draw a comparison between Flannery O'Conner
and Marilynne Robinson in what I think are two areas of
distinct similarity. First, both novelists depict a God-haunted
existence in the lives of their main characters. God is a presence in
their lives and redemptive grace always a
possibility. Secondly, Robinson like O'Conner, tells her story
largely through a male protagonist. This is especially the case with
Gilead where women and the feminine are sparingly portrayed. In
fact, women seldom speak or intersect with the largely masculine story line as
related through the voice of Reverend Ames.
Some might ask, "Yes, but is this a Catholic
novel? I thought the Misfits was a Catholic Men's Reading
Group." I would argue that if you are a Catholic
with a strong fundamentalist bent (me!), you will read this novel as a deeply
Christian expression of faith. Hence, it is a Catholic novel!
Yours in Christ,
Misfit Buzz
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