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I am of the opinion that there may be no writer currently practicing the craft superior to Marilynne Robinson in her ability to crawl inside characters and find out what makes them tick, the thoughts they think, how they make sense of the world. Yes, it is true that Robinson's take is based in a certain Christian theology, and this bothers some people, or so I have heard. But I find this strange. Do we reject authors who write about other perspectives we do not share? Do we turn up our noses at Islamic or Buddhist authors? I would certainly hope not. It strikes me that those who cannot put themselves in the shoes of a character grappling with an experience dissimilar to their own is living in a very narrow world.
In any case, for those who are familiar with the other two Gilead books, [b:Gilead|68210|Gilead|Marilynne Robinson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327936326s/68210.jpg|2481792] and [b:Home|2924318|Home (Gilead, #2)|Marilynne Robinson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1426188598s/2924318.jpg|2951639], Lila will be a familiar character. To recapitulate briefly: Gilead is the preacher John Ames' letter to his young son who he fathered late in life with his much younger wife, Lila. Home is the story of Jack Boughton, the son of John Ames' best friend and fellow religious man. They all live in the small town of Gilead, thus the name. This third book gives us the perspective and history of Lila, who grows up in very difficult circumstances (to put it mildly) and comes to Gilead when she is pretty much played out. She has no expectations or hopes, no dreams left. Yet, sweetness comes her way nonetheless.
I don't want to give much of Lila's story away, though I must say that even if I told you the whole thing it wouldn't matter all that much, because what is so wonderful about this book is the way in which her story is told, how Robinson can so much inhabit her head and her heart. I loved it and was deeply touched. I am so happy that there are still writers who want to write books like this.
In any case, for those who are familiar with the other two Gilead books, [b:Gilead|68210|Gilead|Marilynne Robinson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327936326s/68210.jpg|2481792] and [b:Home|2924318|Home (Gilead, #2)|Marilynne Robinson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1426188598s/2924318.jpg|2951639], Lila will be a familiar character. To recapitulate briefly: Gilead is the preacher John Ames' letter to his young son who he fathered late in life with his much younger wife, Lila. Home is the story of Jack Boughton, the son of John Ames' best friend and fellow religious man. They all live in the small town of Gilead, thus the name. This third book gives us the perspective and history of Lila, who grows up in very difficult circumstances (to put it mildly) and comes to Gilead when she is pretty much played out. She has no expectations or hopes, no dreams left. Yet, sweetness comes her way nonetheless.
I don't want to give much of Lila's story away, though I must say that even if I told you the whole thing it wouldn't matter all that much, because what is so wonderful about this book is the way in which her story is told, how Robinson can so much inhabit her head and her heart. I loved it and was deeply touched. I am so happy that there are still writers who want to write books like this.