"Gilead" by Marilynne Robinson

I read Gilead as part of this year's reading challenge that included reading a Pulitzer Prize winning novel. I knew absolutely nothing about the book or the author and was pleasantly surprised on both accounts. Set in rural Iowa, Gilead is a letter of an old country preacher to his young son. Reverend Ames feels the approach of death and decides to write a letter to his seven-year old son in an attempt to record instruction, words of wisdom and family lore which he won't be around to share with him as the boy grows older.

Robinson did a wonderful job impersonating an old country preacher. The book is filled with wisdom and historical details about Kansas and Iowa in the late 19th- early 20th century. Biblical quotes and theological issues are also raised and discussed throughout the book. Reverend Ames does not pretend to know all there is about God and religion. He humbly admits his flaws and mistakes. The love he feels for his wife and son and the sorrow about leaving them are palpable and deeply moving. The narrative itself is slow and on the surface not much is going on in the sleepy little town where it is set. But then Reverend's long estranged godson and namesake comes back to town, which seems to threaten the peace of the Ames' household and brings back the memories of long-forgotten past.

Needless to say, I very much enjoyed this short novel. It is a real gem and deserves all the praise and awards it has received. I also discovered that Robinson has written two more companion novels: one focusing on the Reverend's wife and the other on his best friend Boughton. I might check those out from the library.