There are seemingly fewer doors open because of the choices I have made habits I have formed and the limits of time, money, and energy. I think that the themes Robinson tackles are the other reason these stories struck a chord: At midlife, the idea of change is more fraught than it was in my younger days. I’ve read few authors who have such a quiet and subtle power. One of the reasons both novels, and especially Home, are so poignant to me is Robinson’s mastery of writing.

Home is a retelling of some of the same story told in Robinson’s Gilead (another amazing novel) from a different perspective. Themes of family duty, religion, spirituality, race relations, and morality permeate the stories, with forgiveness and people’s ability to change and transform being central. While Jack does receive grace and sometimes forgiveness from others, he remains a profoundly lonely and estranged man stuck between a past that he is unsure he can overcome and a present that may not allow Jack to live the sort of life he feels is right. Jack also attempts to see if his past would preclude him from returning home to live a new life and whether his home has evolved into a place that would be safe for him and his loved ones. The tale of his life gradually unfolds as his sister (the narrator of the story) observes his attempts to come to terms with himself, his past, and his shaky relationships with his family and close family friends (including another minister, his father’s best friend). Soon after, the “prodigal son” of the family, Jack, a son who, despite his checkered past and estrangement from the family, is the most beloved by the father, also returns home and stays with his sister and father. Because of this and a broken relationship, his youngest daughter, Glory, returns home to help care for him. First, the patriarch of the family, a retired minister, is failing in his health. For those who haven’t read the book (and I highly recommend it!), it’s the story of a family in a small Iowa town in the 1950s that is shaken by several events. It’s a little hard to explain why this story hit me so hard, since I can’t say I strongly related to any of the main characters. I completed the book on a flight home from a summer vacation, and I literally cried for a half an hour.

I was surprised how emotional I felt reading it and especially finishing it. This past summer, I read a book that touched me deeply: Home by Marilynne Robinson.

Home marilynne robinson