Please Don’t Go Away! And Please Keep Posting Comments. (And a Recommendation of a Good Faith-Based Novel)

Dear Blog Friends,

The transition to Disqus continues. It was not my choice and I would have preferred the status quo. I have asked Patheos to make it possible for you to comment without having to create a Disqus account or sign in. I hope that is the case. It seems to me that probably several (man?) comments have gotten lost in the transition. Hopefully that will not be the case from now on. So please comment and I will do my best to figure out how to use Disqus (the Patheos people are being very helpful to me) and moderate the comments as before.

I just finished reading a wonderful new novel that is faith-based. (I don’t know another phrase to use. It’s not explicitly “Christian” in any blatant or “in your face” sort of way and it doesn’t offer simplistic answers to big questions. But it does include reference to faith and offers hope in spite of tragedy.)

The book is Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger, a Minnesota author of (mostly) mystery novels. There is a mystery at the heart of this novel, but it’s not a “detective story” in any usual sense. If there’s a detective here it’s a boy–or two brothers. The year is 1961 and the place is “New Bremen, Minnesota” (clearly New Ulm). The family at the center of the story is that of a Methodist pastor. There’s murder. There’s mystery. But the real attraction of the story is the relationship between the boys and their father and other townsfolk. It’s a poignant story that draws tears but ends with hope. It’s one of the best books I’ve read since Peace Like a River by Leif Enger.