I just finished reading Jack, the fourth in the series of Gilead Novels by Marilynne Robinson. Gilead is a story of two families of two ministers in a small town in Iowa. I have really enjoyed this series. The book “Lila” in particular was a phenomenal book. In each of the successive books after Gilead, Robinson focuses on a minor character in the first book Gilead. She delves deep into their interior thoughts, lives and motivations. The Book Jack focuses on the wayward son Jack, who has lived a life full of mischief, poor decisions, alcoholism, regret and I would say a lack of direction. At times Jack may seem to have a rakish charm, but mostly he is just a self absorbed failure. For most of the book he seems to accept this about himself. I would have liked to hear him reflect more about his family of origin.
The book centers around his relationship with Della. It is of some interest to see the challenges added to their relationship due their interracial romance in the 1950s with miscegenation laws. I would have liked to hear more about Della’s family. Their cameo appearance in the end was a more interesting part of the book. The underlying issue the book deals with is grace and whether we feel we deserve it or are willing to accept it. Still the book is about Jack and all his interior thoughts for 322 pages. Whereas I found Lila’s life, mind and journey fascinating to follow, I found Jack’s thoughts about his incessant self pity, whining and self destructiveness got boring after the first 200 pages. Perhaps that says more about me then the book. I just found him an uninteresting character. Truthfully he seemed a more mysterious interesting character in Gilead that I had hoped to know more of. Perhaps that is the point, that some people are just uninteresting and even they deserve grace.
Even after reading the book, there are two questions that still perplex me. Why did Della love him? Did she just want someone to save? (I guess I will have to wait for another book by Robinson about Della). Why didn’t they move to a state that did not have miscegenation laws? Still the book showed the challenges of how difficult it is to change one’s life and how the world can crush you. And then sometimes, in a moment, even if just a moment life can be beautiful and full of possibilities. Unfortunately that is the way this book felt. Some really beautiful moments, but mostly the look inside the pedantic mind of Jack Boughton.
