Friday, December 15, 2006

2006 book 140

Elizabeth Strout's Abide with Me
Strout's latest novel centers on a minister in a small town in Maine in 1959; after the death of his wife, he struggles to find his way while dealing with his traumatized daughter. He's a little too obsessed w/ Bonhoeffer for my taste, but is still a very likable and sympathetic character. His daughter, too, is a heart-breaking little figure. As the two of them try to get over their family tragedy and find their place, small-town gossis and church politics threaten to destroy the little they have left. Meanwhile, the spectre of nuclear war hangs over a culture on the brink of change. B+.

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