Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

The Pulitzer Prize label doesn’t impress me much. Like the Academy Awards it often highlights artsy books that are out of touch with popular tastes. So it was IN SPITE OF the gold label that I picked up this book. Frankly, too many book bloggers had recommended it for me to ignore it. As I began reading I was amazed to find a man of faith being portrayed in a positive light. I kept waiting for the author to “zap” me with some horrible truth about this pastor that would prove he had feet of clay, but it never happened.

Gilead is the touching story of Reverend John Ames, an elderly pastor, who knows he hasn’t long to live. It is a collection of thoughts and memories he wants to pass on to his son. Although Ames seems to meander at times (making his words seem like the realistic ramblings of an old man), his reflections are anything but boring. You’ll laugh out loud at his thieving grandpa and you’ll grieve over his brother’s loss of faith. In the midst of the writing of his memoirs, Jack Boughton, a ne’er-do-well young man, comes to town and threatens Pastor Ames’ happiness. The struggle between Ames’ pastoral concern for Jack and his fear of Jack creates a fascinating story.

One of the only reasons the book did not make my “Wow!” list is because I had just read Cry, the Beloved Country - a pretty hard act for any book to follow. But while Cry is an intense story with an “avalanche of mercy”, Gilead is a gently told tale in which grace is dispersed in lovely, intermittent snowflakes. It’s a beautifully written book that celebrates the gifts and graces of life.