Hello and welcome to ex libris (“from the library”), my monthly roundup of book discussion and recommendations. This work will be better with your contributions, so please feel free to chime in below if you’d like!
The Books That Made Me: An Occasional Series
The Great Divorce, CS Lewis
The Great Divorce was the first of CS Lewis’ books I ever read outside of The Chronicles of Narnia. I read it sometime in the blur of young motherhood; I cannot remember exactly when.
Though the title is a response to Blake’s The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, Lewis is careful to tell the reader that they should not take the book as an exact picture of what he believes the afterlife to be. There are pictures; there are themes; but the book is not an allegory, but rather a “supposal.” Suppose if…the afterlife were like this. What would it reveal about the people who are there? What about the people who are headed there?
As a result, we have a parade of characters to talk to. It turns out that what you believe about the afterlife reveals a great deal about your idolatries and priorities here on Earth. Here we have the mother who only wanted Heaven to see her son; we have the founders of the theological book club who delight in their ideas instead of Christ; we have a person battling deeply with sin. Some individuals want to get right back on the bus out of Heaven. Some are curious enough to stay a while and to travel higher up into the mountains ahead.
This book has been a kind friend to me in times of trial and in times of joy. I reread it often.
“That is what mortals misunderstand. They say of some temporal suffering, ‘No future bliss can make up for it’ not knowing that Heaven, once attained, will work backwards and turn even that agony into a glory.”
This month’s book stack:
The Wager, David Grann: When I put this on my hold list at the local library, I was number two-hundred-and-something in line. After a few months of waiting, I was finally able to see what all the fuss was about. This book is by the author of the better-known Killers of the Flower Moon. It’s the true story of an ill-fated ship in the British Navy. The sailors are shipwrecked on a small island at the tip of South America, and there are conflicting accounts of what happened after that. Was it a captain saved from his own murderous cowardice — or a mutiny?
As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner: My first Faulkner. This is our book club’s selection for the month because for some reason my friend and I inexplicably thought Faulkner “felt fallish.” Why do I instinctively turn towards American literature when the weather turns cooler? Does this happen to anyone else? Anyway, I enjoyed this book and I would like to read more Faulkner, but I also got the picture of how he’s not everyone’s favorite. You have to be content to let him set the pace.
The Memory of Old Jack, Wendell Berry: Few authors make me aspire to love locally as much as Wendell Berry does. This account of Jack Beechum’s life, from one day spent remembering, is shot through with the greatness you’d expect from a Port William account: marriage, community, regret, grief, and glory. This book was an honest friend to me as I’ve struggled through some of the limitations of midlife. I will probably return to it. It’s beautiful.
Just Be Honest, Clint Watkins: (forthcoming from The Good Book Company) You know what American evangelicals are pretty bad at? Lament. This book wrestles through dealing with sadness, suffering, and the honest process of lament, as exemplified in Scripture. “in many parts of Christian culture there’s an imbalance towards positivity, progress, and praise. As a result, unpleasant emotions make us feel uncomfortable and unfaithful; sorrow seems incompatible with trust in God.” I think this book is a helpful corrective.
A note on purchase links: I’m a happy supporter of independent bookshops, so the links I provide will almost always go to my affiliate link at bookshop.org. For my local readers, I heartily recommend you buy them through our favorite, Goldberry Books, but you might have a shop closer to you. Of course, you can always find these selections on That Big Website That Ships Quickly, But Not As Quickly as It Used To, and Remember How They Sucked Us All In By Being a Bookstore to Begin With? I’m also a big fan of saving money and patronizing your local library. Happy reading!
Bahaha yes ... "cozy fall read" indeed ...