GILEAD

Oh boy my pretties. I read a religious(ish) book. What would Madonna do? Dedicate an entire CD & tour to it? Anyway, this book is pretty good, not to mention a quick read. I'll admit, I didn't hate it. I really didn't. And those of you that know me, know how I feel about basically anything based in religion. It makes me ill. But we'll carry on. The story is an elderly father's (who happens to be a Reverend) letter to his toddler son. He knows he has a heart issue that will kill him sooner or later, probably sooner. Yes, I did cry at the end. But it's not the ending you expect. Yes the elderly die, but the death in the end isn't our main character, it's his best friend/confidant's death of old age. It killed me to read that part.

So the story is this complex. The narrator talks about his childhood, father & grandfather, friends, family and wife. Events that he felt shaped his life and world view. His father & grandfather were both Reverends as well. The narrators interpretations of the Bible and how they've changed over the years. There was some interesting insight in this book. Is it valid as the book is fiction? Well, to the extent that the Bible is valid. I believe the book deals with life in a small town, with small town thinking and small town death. Never breaking out of the narrow minds that bind people together whether or not they're good intentioned. Bad people are everywhere not just from "over there." Should you read this book? Eh, if you're a avid reader... sure.