30 Books in 30 Beach Days Day 11: "Gilead"
Today, on a slow and sun-drenched Sunday, it is time to share one of my favorite books of all time. I wrote my college senior thesis on Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead, and it remains one of my favorite books to slip into. Not too long and not too dense, the text is refreshing in its simplicity and the ease of its message. Set in Gilead, Iowa, in 1956, the novel is a letter from Congregationalist minister John Ames to his young son, Robbie, on the eve of Ames’ death. Ames suffers from a heart condition and knows he will die before Robbie is old enough to form strong memories of him; this is a letter intended to tell him (Robbie) explicitly how much he is loved.
Of course, the letter becomes more than that—it becomes a vehicle for Ames to express his fears about dying, his appreciation for the life he’s lived, his regrets at having to leave it. It is also where he chronicles his love for Robbie’s mother, Lila, whom he met in the autumn of his own life when he baptized her and their love grew; his relationship with another minister, the Reverend John Boughton; and his deep mistrust of Jack Boughton, his friend’s prodigal son who has returned to Gilead after leaving in disgrace 20 years prior.
Gilead is in many ways a theological and philosophical book, but it’s never dull nor is it so ruminating as to be inaccessible. What’s most lovely about the novel is the way its clear and reverent writing forces the modern reader to slow down, turning the sentences over in her mind and appreciating each one, much as Ames details his appreciation for the simple pleasures in life that he knows he will miss and he hopes his son will cherish.
This is a wonderful book to read now, when so many things compete for our time and attention. It’s an interesting and serene step back in time, where things are not perfect, but where the ordinary, and the slow, and the most basically human things become divine.
Rating: 5/5
