The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

epic.
tragic.
humbling.

As I load my automatic dishwasher, and perform other mundane tasks with the help of modern domestic technology, my thoughts often turn humbly to pioneers who lived full, happy, difficult lives without running water, indoor plumbing, electric stoves or forced air heating. What I now know I've been ignorant about, and what this book revealed, is the poverty and lack of modern conveniences that people TODAY live without. And that's just the backdrop to this epic novel of a religious southern American family who travel to a small village in Africa's Congo in the 1950s to live as missionaries. To call their fictional experience culture shock is an understatement. Told first person by each member of the family in turn except the cruel father, the book explores how one tragic and pivotal experience affects each family member for decades to come, while delving into the social consequences of real life political and societal events of the time. A deep story of love and loss leaves the reader with a better understanding that nothing is simple, and that at times, hope must be found within.

Extremely Loud and Incrediby Close by Jonathon Safran Foer

unassuming.
death.
love.

What originally drew me to this book, was the main character, a nine-year-old boy whose intelligence far exceeds his years. He reminded me of my eight-year-old daughter, who embodies the title of this book. She, too, is smart, and will talk your ear off in a heartbeat. She doesn't understand the need for personal space, and I'm pretty sure she is incapable of thinking internally.  She shares many similarities to Oskar in the story, and is equally endearing.

This book explores the hope and heartache of personal tragedies through generations of Oskar's family--flawed beings who love imperfectly. The book itself seems to be searching for the answer to an impossible question; a question that dwindles throughout a lengthy and painful search for meaning and purpose in lives that are lacking.

In the end, the lesson that was reinforced in my mind is the need to be loved and to share your love in the very moment that precedes the next. It is stated in the book that death is easy; living is hard. And that the biggest regrets are not things that you wish you had done differently, but rather the things you don't do at all. Or say.

I enjoyed this book immensely. It was full of emotion: sadness, hope, anger, exhilaration, and regret. One could sit and read this book for hours, but also put it down for a couple days before picking right back up where you left off. The plot exudes a certain leisurely depth to it, which reminds us how complicated life can be, and it's simple remedy.

*beware of the occasional (and rare) f-bomb.

4 out of 5 stars