I was a fan of Olive Kitteridge, so when Elizabeth Strout was a guest speaker at our library author lunch I did my usual thing and bought all of her other books. This of course only added to my giant to-be-read pile, but thank goodness she only had two others. Anyway, after hearing the author, who was a little sketchy as a speaker, I was a little tentative with my hopes for these books. I also read later that they were not as good as Olive. Well, I have to say that I really did enjoy this book. There were times that it was a little tough going – parts of the story were overwhelmingly sad. But, if you’re looking for a good cry, Elizabeth Strout does sad and depressed very well.
Tyler Caskey is the beloved pastor of a close-knit Maine community. After his wife’s early death, his life begins a steady decline that forces him to examine all of the things he once believed so strongly. For such a truly good man, this is a difficult thing to watch. He is not perfect, of course. He is not the best parent, not the best son, but he had always been a wonderful minister; so when that falls apart he is left with a bunch of unmanageable fragments of a life.
What I find so wonderful about Strout’s writing is the tremendous detail she brings to every character, and there is a whole town’s worth in this book. There are minor characters here that are better developed than the main character of other books I’ve read. I also love to read about these hardened northerners who are not overfriendly, but who will be there for you in a crisis, and will not remind you of it later. Even the title of the book was picked with such care. The hymn “Abide with Me” recurs as a theme throughout the book, and, when the organist plays it toward the end, I almost cried. Ok, maybe I did, but just a little.
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