William Kent Krueger

Fiction 2013 | 307 pages

Told from Frank’s perspective forty years after the fateful summer of 1961, Ordinary Grace is a brilliantly moving account of a boy standing at the door of his young manhood, trying to understand a world that seems to be falling apart around him. That summer, there are numerous deaths in the small town that Frank and his younger brother Jake live in.

Though their father is a pastor, and the boys are steeped in the ways of church and god, and god is a central theme through the book as well as how community members do and do not process their grief, I did not find it to be overly "god-centric."  It is definitely about grace and forgiveness and being in nature and talking things through and examining one's beliefs and finding inner peace, gentleness, and acceptance.  But you need not believe in god to gain this book's wisdom.

The title is finally stated deep in the story, when a bereaved mother snarls at her husband over the dinner table: “Can’t you, just this once, offer an ordinary grace?”  But grace has already come into play many times.

There are many definitions of "grace" and most of them are religious, but this one really resonated with me, from Dictionary.com, "elegance or beauty of form, manner, motion, or action."  In grace, we forgive, accept, do not judge, are open, we love.  It is truly elegant.

But let's talk about the writing.  That's what really puts Ordinary Grace in the "yes, please read" column for me.  There are numerous deaths over this summer, and I so appreciate the coming-of-age story as told by a man 40 years beyond this summer.  The characters are each unique, with their own quirks, foibles, gifts, ability to love deeply, and, yes, graces.  Kent does a superb job of developing each of these characters and giving us insight into their feelings and actions.  More than anything, this is an enjoyable novel/historic fiction to pleasure your summer afternoons.  Please read and delight in this Oregon Author!

July 2024