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lesausser 's review for:
The Dearly Beloved
by Cara Wall
You know how sometimes when you reach the end of a book you’ve loved so far it doesn’t feel quite whole? Like the end isn’t deserving of the rest of the novel? That’s how The Dearly Beloved left me.
Of course I’m reading a lot into this text, during this time of quarantine, but Wall wrote so beautifully about change, and empathy, and how we must constantly adjust our expectations and perceptions of life and what it means to be human. I also love how she wrote about faith without being preachy - she broaches the subject in an approachable, universally felt way. Anyone can relate to one of the characters definitions of faith, no matter your religion (or lack thereof).
However, something about the end didn’t feel right to me. The last chapter leaves us with a very realistic sentiment about adjusting to unhappiness in our life by relying on the people around us. But then the book jumps into an epilogue I found too smooth and shiny, a diamond among the rough sandstone the rest of the text mimicked. It’s hard to explain why without giving anything away, and I still recommend this novel, but I feel cheated out of the ending this story deserved.
Of course I’m reading a lot into this text, during this time of quarantine, but Wall wrote so beautifully about change, and empathy, and how we must constantly adjust our expectations and perceptions of life and what it means to be human. I also love how she wrote about faith without being preachy - she broaches the subject in an approachable, universally felt way. Anyone can relate to one of the characters definitions of faith, no matter your religion (or lack thereof).
However, something about the end didn’t feel right to me. The last chapter leaves us with a very realistic sentiment about adjusting to unhappiness in our life by relying on the people around us. But then the book jumps into an epilogue I found too smooth and shiny, a diamond among the rough sandstone the rest of the text mimicked. It’s hard to explain why without giving anything away, and I still recommend this novel, but I feel cheated out of the ending this story deserved.