A charming, sweet story

We had a great group assembled to talk about the charming book, A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. Granted, it didn't start with much promise - a (very) grumpy man with an attitude that would alienate the most tolerant stomping around his neighborhood trying to get the other residents to  follow his rules. Still, somehow the author kept us turning pages until the lovely end of a sweet tale.

As the book progressed, the backstory, revealed bit by bit was to me at least, unbearably sad. Still, there were many comic components, not the least of which were the other characters in the book. A mangy cat, an Iranian woman with her two, soon to be three, children and inept husband and the former best friends who were now ex-communicado were all part of it. Not to mention the overweight young man next door.

All these characters came together and became a family and Ove, with this many heartbreaks, found love with the children next door who called him Grandpa. The journey to get to this point was improbable and the characters were a little cartoonish and broad. But no one cared. There was plenty to be critical about, but why would anyone bother? The end result was so sweet and the journey was so fun.

This was a first novel that had a hard time getting traction when presented to publishers. Since then it has been published in at least 35 countries, and has been a best seller everywhere. In the tradition of "It's a Wonderful Life", this reminds us of how intertwined we all are and how much of an impact we can make on each other if we allow it to happen.

So on to our next book, which is The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen. This one won the Pulitzer for Fiction last year, and I can't wait to read it! We will meet at Karen's house on the Southside, thank you Karen! And our May book, so you can all get ready is I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. Yeah!

Many thanks to Jean for hosting in her beautiful house with gorgeous flowers and to everyone who brought yummy things to eat. And best of luck to Susan Smithwick who is leaving us for the West Coast, I miss you already!

See you in April.

Remember "The Tenth of December"? George Saunders again, and he is amazing.

Just these few minutes ago, I finished George Saunders's new and first novel, called Lincoln in the Bardo. Those of us who read his collection of short stories, The Tenth of December will not be surprised that this novel is very unusual, so odd that I had to read some reviews to figure out the setting. So strange, flat out weird and yet incredibly touching and challenging, it was an amazing experience.

The entire story unfolds in one night, in a cemetery that, as my husband Rick says, is filled with people too old and dead to talk. Yet they do, as it is populated with souls who can't or won't accept that their old lives are over, that no one will come for them. One person, a Reverend, is an exception. He knows he is dead and yet is too afraid of final judgement to move out of this in-between state. These lost souls are frozen in their old pain, their old burdens, which distort their appearances to their last, lost regret.

Into this village drops the incredulous, innocent young Willie Lincoln, beloved son of the then President of the United States. He traveled here by way of a fever, lost during a Presidential reception that provided a backdrop for the agony of his father, Abraham Lincoln. Willie can't move on out of belief that his father would come for him and bring him back. When Lincoln does come again, it shocks all in this limbo to rethink. Would someone come for them too? Will Lincoln help them? Can Willie? If not, why are they still there, waiting? And yet, we know the truth - no matter who or why, death is final.

Poor Lincolns, young and old. The pain is palpable in this amazing novel, hard to bear even when some aspects are comic. Abraham Lincoln's great burden is beautifully rendered while barely described - a grief-stricken father, a husband whose wife is driven mad and so musters on alone, a President responsible for scores of deaths as he tries for a greater and longer term good, a man who buoys so many, even as they cling to him and threaten his ability to take his very next step.

These souls lost in limbo exemplify Lincoln's burden. His young son, caught in the abyss can't  imagine his father won't lift him away. But it is Lincoln's sorrow that enables him to go on, and also allows all these souls, caught in limbo, to accept their own situations,  illuminated by the great man who finally accepts the loss of his beloved son.

This is not everyone's cup of tea novel, granted. Still, it is a wonderous thing.

Lynn wrote from the beach today that she also has a great novel to recommend, The Sympathiser by  Viet Thanh Nguyen which won the Pulitzer Prize in 2016. Can't wait to move on to that one! See you all soon.