Review: Home

Home, by Marilynne Robinson. (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2008. ISBN: 0374299102)


Too much is left unsaid in this beautifully written book. Two of Reverend Boughton's eight adult children -- Jack, the black sheep, and Glory, the youngest -- have returned to the family homestead, due to difficult circumstances in their lives. They are all very careful of one another's privacy, and they tiptoe around discussing the events that have brought them home to Gilead.

Ultimately, caution and taciturnity become frustrating, both for the characters and for the reader. The stingy hints that Jack and Glory share about their lives initially provide some dramatic tension, but the habits of concealment become almost annoying in the end. The book closes with some elucidation of the reasons for Jack's angst, but we never really learn much about the details of Glory's troubles.

Nonetheless, it is a pleasure to read the words that Pulitzer Prize winner Robinson puts together to deliver this somewhat unsatisfying story. Her sentences are simple, but they are crammed with thought and analytical insights. She is not just a great writer; she is also a great thinker.

If you enjoyed Gilead, the author's previous work, you will recognize the Boughton family. In this story, it is Reverend Ames and his family who are the secondary characters. Enjoy this book for its writing, but don't expect too much from the story.