book 67

david guterson's our lady of the forest
there are few common elements among guterson's three novels--the spirituality of nature, maybe, and the narrow-mindedness of small towns (perhaps exaggerated here--do oregonians really use the phrase "jew you down" and mentally mock hindus?). his in-depth characterizations are also notable--here, the main characters are a sixteen year old girl having visions of the virgin mary, her skeptical friend carolyn, the local weak-willed priest, and a mean-spirited local macho type. the visionary remains mysterious throughout (though her terrible childhood is detailed--are there any books anymore where characters aren't badly abused as children? reading two in one day is unpleasant), but the other three, even the cruel local, are all interesting and sympathetic characters. of course, they all come together as a huge number of people flock to the tiny town as pilgrims, and wackiness--and a catholic church inquiry--ensue(s). ok, there's not really any wackiness. but like all of guterson's books, it's an ultimately satisying read.