Gilead

The good: I did appreciate the simplicity of the prose. We get complex themes of forgiveness, jealousy, and mortality presented through the lens of everyday, small-town living.

The less good: This did not make sense to me as an epistolary novel. I think I would have had an easier time with it if it had been presented as John Ames’s final journal instead. It’s all wandering, barely organized thoughts of the past and the present and the philosophical, with a heavy focus on a single individual. It does convey a meaningful message in the end, but I just do not buy that this is how a dying man would be writing to his young son. I also struggled with the book’s persistent religious undertones. To be fair, this is nothing more than a personal issue and was completely expected and in character for a book written from a preacher’s point of view. And I never stopped feeling uncomfortable with John and Lila’s relationship.

Overall: It was just okay for me. I’ll admit that I don’t fully understand the critical acclaim.

Book author: Marilynne Robinson