I selected this book at the downtown library, not knowing anything about the author.
In a summer of Trumpian nonsense and the government's general failure to address the problems that ail us, I have enjoyed reading this book and thinking about life from the perspective of its characters.
It's a coming of age novel about Scout Moseley, a 16-year old from rural Georgia whose mother was recently committed to a mental institution and whose father, a Methodist minister, is in the midst of a crisis of faith.
The writing is crisp and the characters authentic. A primary theme is family: the ways that family members can repel us but, ultimately, provide a foundation for the way that we perceive the world.
Scout is angry with his father (Joe Pike), but he cannot bring himself to cut loose. Interestingly, though, he does not reach out to his mother, which is surprising given the overall theme of family above all else.
Meanwhile, Scout's aunt Alma and uncle Cicero are struggling with their frustrations with each other. Ultimately, they too remain faithful to the bond of family.
Joe Pike's questions about the nature of God don't break any new philosophical ground, but I do like the idea of a minister visibly, publicly struggling with his own beliefs. I imagine that most ministers spend a lot of time thinking about faith (their own and other people's), but I wonder how often ministers undertake a full-on separation from their religious institution?
Here's a passage:
"Imagine this," Joe Pike said, the words rushing out. "Imagine that someday we discover something really big out there." He swept one hand toward the heavens. "Some concept so complex and yet so pure and simple that it explains everything. What's smaller than small, what's beyond beyond. What if we wretched little human beings with our muddled minds and corrupted spirits suddenly stumble onto the big answer. And at that very instant of discovery God says, 'Okay, that's what I was waiting for. Curtain down. Come on home.' And that's the Second Coming. Not God coming to us, but us coming to God."
