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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A swift, painful, beautiful tale that lodges itself in your heart and mind. I love this book.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Illustrates the complexity of story that each person lives, and accomplishes a lot in its short run.
One of the books on the "recommended reading" list I received from Ann Patchett at this year's ALA conference. The analogy of wrestling with the fish and wrestling with emotions (especially the forbidden kind) was an exceptional way to capture the core of this story.
It may be more novella than novel, and its surface plot that can be flippantly summarized (priest for a small town goes fishing in the rain, and mulls over a recent conversation). I also admit that I was initially unsure of where the infamous Patchett love came from. My mistake was thinking the big "reveal" was the point of the book--the reveal comes quickly, and was not at all surprising to me. That is where the story begins, not where it ends.
Tuns out there is a quiet power to this one, a power that builds up slowly and steadily. What Haien shows is not how the events discussed affected the person they happened to, the parishioner who makes her non-confessional confession, but how the story affects the person who hears it. It is Father Declan's reactions and insights, especially over the last third of the novel, that will remain with me.
Tuns out there is a quiet power to this one, a power that builds up slowly and steadily. What Haien shows is not how the events discussed affected the person they happened to, the parishioner who makes her non-confessional confession, but how the story affects the person who hears it. It is Father Declan's reactions and insights, especially over the last third of the novel, that will remain with me.
Very quick read, but like many others, I would have liked to be able to give 2.5 stars. I was pulled in by the story, but it hasn't stayed with me the way a compelling story or character often does.
emotional
reflective
slow-paced