Book #13 - Maine

In every book club I have joined, there is always a summer read.  Someone chooses a book about women who go to the beach for the summer and work out all sorts of personal and interpersonal problems.   I don't mind, these books are usually light silly reads.  In fact, I used one of those books to get me through most of Thomas' labor since it was distracting but did not require much thought.

Maine, by J. Courtney Sullivan is a beach read.  But it is better than most.  The story line is captivating if somewhat predictible.  The reader feels invested in the lives of the different women and enjoys the resolution of tensions through out the book.  It would be a great book to take on vacation.

In addition, I was captivated by one of the main characters, Alice. 

Alice is an old lady, in her eighties, and a devout Catholic.  She attends Mass every day and is good friends with the local priest.  The priest is well written, he acts very much like real priests I personally know.

Alice also struggles with sin, guilt, and her past.  I imagine that the author probably has devout Catholic parents, since she so well captures what they feel, even if she doesn't always get doctrine right.

 

There is a scene where Alice remembers asking a priest to use birth control in confession.  He says the Church forbids it, but encourages her to embrace motherhood.  She listens to him.  She also remembers praying every morning before a statue of Our Lady to bring her brothers home safely from war.

Towards the end of the book she confesses what she considers to be her greatest sin.  When the priest encourages her to let go and accept God's love these are her thoughts: "She wanted somone harsher here, someone to take a Brillo pad to her sins and scrub until she bled."   The priest continues to try to lead her to forgive herself too,  "....was a great loss.  But consider how much joy--how many lives have come into being because of it.  And because of you."

I feel like Sullivan captures real personalities in her novel.  Here are complicated women trying to love each other imperfectly.  The Catholic aspect was unexpected and pretty satisfying.  I'm glad I got to read this book and that it was more than what I had expected.