A Contemplative Novel About Healing and Hope, Secrets and Confessions, Forgiveness and Understanding
This is a quiet and contemplative book with very little plot; instead, it's a character study that is both profound and deeply sad. Like "Gilead" and "Lila," this novel philosophically examines life's biggest questions, but in this case it does so in a retelling of the Gospel of Luke's parable of the prodigal son: How do we forgive, especially ourselves? Why are we here? What is a soul? What is a family? Who is God? What does it mean to die?
Written by Marilynne Robinson, this novel continues the story of the Rev. Robert Boughton in his old age as he is nearing death. Retired as a minister in the Presbyterian church, he is a widower and the father of eight children, all of whom have moved away from their hometown of Gilead, Iowa. The youngest, 38-year-old Glory, a schoolteacher who was burned by a young man she thought of as her fiancé, has moved back to Gilead to care for her father in his last days. Surprising both of them, her brother Jack—the black sheep of the family, who has been incommunicado for 20 years and up to all kinds of mischief and misdeeds—suddenly appears on their doorstep. And while the other seven children did exactly what their parents expected, Jack did not. Yet, he remains his father's favorite child.
It's a hot summer in 1956. This is the story of the three of them as Rev. Boughton slowly dies and Glory and Jack begin to come to life again after experiencing heartbreak, disappointment, and despair. Jack is harboring some big secrets, and he's not disclosing any of them—for now. Meanwhile, he and Glory, who barely knew each other as children, begin a cautious and ever-so-careful dance toward one another, eventually forming a tight, loving bond as they both try to heal. Still, it's difficult. Jack is hostile. Jack is a thief, a liar, a coward, and a drunk. And Glory is suffering from her own secretive heartbreak.
This is a book that seems almost like a kind of prayer…a prayer for healing and hope, secrets and confessions, forgiveness and understanding.
As I wrote in my review of "Gilead: A Novel," this quartet of novels is an intelligent and accomplished literary achievement. Read this and the other three because they are masterpieces, but don't expect a compelling, page-turner of a story.
Unlike most book series, you do not need to read these novels in any particular order. They each—"Gilead," "Home," "Lila," and "Jack"—blend into the others in an imaginative way. And while each one stands alone, together they form a resonant whole.
(06/08/26)
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