.
. . . .A BOOK REVIEW.
ORDINARY GRACE
By William Kent
Krueger
This is a
multifaceted novel set in a small
farm community in Minnesota. It documents a tragic year in the life of the
little town of New Bremen –1961.
It is told in the voice of a precocious 13 year old boy, Frank Drum, who
along with his younger brother Jake is witness to some earthshaking events
that will forever change their lives and alter their view of the world. Their father is minister of the
Methodist Church, a man who came home from WW2 with his dreams shattered
and his perspectives totally changed.
His wife finds herself in a situation that she detests, but makes the
most of it by using her musical talents in the church and community
programs. She projects her
lost dreams and passions onto the shoulders of their beautiful and talented
daughter, who has her own dreams.
The authors luminous writing creates
vivid images of the beautiful northern river country and provides historical
background that brings the town and its back-roads, the railroad tracks, the
river banks, the mud and the sand, the heat and the humidity vividly into your
world and you find you are deeply immersed in the life of this little town and
its fascinating characters.
Mysterious and
unexplained deaths, old prejudices –all the human foibles and flaws of everyday
life are woven into the tapestry of this story. The two boys are exposed to the dark elements in back rooms
and police stations, and are witness to the devastation of loss in their own
family. Their emotionally
devastated, but wise and even-keeled father provides the anchor, the model and
the rope to guide their way through the tangled territory they must navigate.
It is a
beautiful, heartbreaking story, but leaves you with lessons to learn and deep thoughts to ponder upon. My kind of book.
Betty L Owen Journals 2015
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