by Leif Enger, 2018
Very disappointing book. It’s set in small-town Minnesota along Lake Superior. The main character drives off a cliff into Lake Superior and is rescued by Marcus Jetty, an old junk collector. Virgil’s life changes drastically after the accident. He meets a Norwegian kite flyer, Rune, who is the long lost father of the long lost baseball player, Alec. There’s a spooky bad guy named Adam. This is one of the reasons I disliked the book. My beloved son’s name is Adam so it’s hard to like a book with a bad guy named Adam. There’s a precious ten-year old boy named Galen who loves to fish. His dad, Shad Pea, is drowned by a sturgeon. Galen is determined to kill this sturgeon. He finally does near the end of the book. After that, good things start to happen in this “hard-luck” town. Rune is a very disappointing character. I expected him to kind of save the day with the bad guy but instead the kite-flying scene with Adam and Rune ends up almost killing Rune. He gets electrocuted and has injuries much like those of Christ although no one in Book Club picked up on that. But nothing is every redeemed through Rune. He seems to become less of a man after that. I was hoping he’d change the bad guy into a good guy – resolve something in Adam’s past, but no, nothing like that.
Virgil several times in the book, sees a man standing in Lake Superior. Realizes towards the end of the book that this man was the Attendant with him when he drove off the cliff. There’s a young man, Bjorn, who is the troubled son of the baseball player who disappeared, Alec. Bjorn likes to surf in the frigid Lake Superior. Virgil hires him to help in his dilapidated movie theater, the Empress, and with Bjorn’s help, it starts to turn around. Then, there’s a troubled man, Jerry, who is helping Adam Leer clean up his mansion but then builds a bomb. Oh my – too many loose ends that never come together and the characters, especially Rune, are either a major disappointment, or seem pointless. Also, he fills his writing with so many details that feel like he is just trying to show off.
This was the 2nd book selection of the year for the Old Town Library Book Club. We met last night to discuss the book, via Zoom. Some people really liked the book – the small town details in it. Some people really disliked the book. I fell in the group that disliked the book. He has been a disappointment since Peace Like a River. I don’t recommend this book. It was a waste of time.