Home (Oprah's Book Club): A Novel - Inspirational Fiction for Book Clubs & Personal Growth" 优化说明： 1. 保留核心关键词"Home"和"Oprah's Book Club" 2. 添加"Novel"明确书籍类型 3. 增加"Inspirational Fiction"描述书籍类型 4. 加入使用场景"Book Clubs & Personal Growth" 5. 符合SEO规范的关键词组合

One of what I considered to be failings of Marilynne Robinson’s ‘Gilead’ was the confinement within the mind of an aged minister, meaning that the reader was held captive to all the musings and concerns of John Ames, many of which were extensive theological debates with himself that struck one as a bit tedious if he wasn’t of the same spiritual persuasion or orientation as this minister. ‘Home’ takes place mostly in the home of Ames’ best friend, also an aged minister, Robert Boughton. Boughton’s health is even more debilitated than Ames’ as he is mostly bedridden whereas Ames still preaches at a church.Robinson seems to be comfortable with novels that largely take place in one location. Her debut, ‘Housekeeping’, mostly occurred either in the house where the “keeping” took place or by the fatal railroad tracks that traversed the lake. ‘Gilead’ mainly took place in Ames’ home, certainly in Ames’ mind. And ‘Home’ takes place mostly at—home.As Boughton’s heath has deteriorated, his youngest daughter, Charity, has come home to take care of him. Charity, at 38, is already approaching middle age, her almost engagement/marriage never occurring (the fiancé was, among other things, already married and, ultimately, never going to divorce his wife). She feels she has little to show for her years; taking care of her father is her purpose in life at this point.After Charity has been back home in Gilead for a while, they receive a letter from Jack, the ne’er do well son whom they haven’t seen in 20 years, saying that he is thinking of visiting the old home again. Charity and her father both have an “I’ll believe it when I see it” attitude toward seeing Jack again. Yet he surprises them, now in his forties, very thin and looking like he’s been through a ringer but trying to appear respectable.Charity and her father both go out of their way to appear welcoming, to not hold grievances against him and to be forgiving of any past transgressions. Jack realizes this and appreciates Charity’s lack of judgment, as an embodiment of her name in Biblical terms to which they both can relate. He lowers his guard partially and tries to go through the motions, getting the car in running order, cleaning up the barn, helping Charity care for their father, generally trying to make himself feel useful. Robinson repeatedly describes Jack as putting his hand over his face. It occurs so frequently that it must be significant. I feel that the gesture is Jack’s refusal to face certain regrets, look at unpleasant memories, or exposing a vulnerability to harsh judgment.Jack does stay longer than anyone expected but there is always an element of tension in the air. Will he drink again? Will he steal again? Will he just give up and leave, at this point almost guaranteeing that he will never see his father again? The novel almost seems like a play, mostly occurring in one location, the “home”, in all senses of the word, of the title. While it does have quite a bit of dialogue, there is far too much exploration of inner thoughts and emotions to accommodate a stage play. For the first half of the novel, there are only three “on stage” characters. Finally, in the second half, they invite Ames, his wife, Lila, and his young son, Robby, over for dinner.Jack inserts inquiries into the theological discussions that Ames and his father have and which Ames considers mocking but which are actual sincere questions from Jack. He really does try to believe. He’s read the Bible a few times cover to cover so he is certainly familiar enough with the belief system. Having read ‘Gilead’ previously, we know Ames’ attitude toward Jack in greater detail and this time we have more input from Ames’ wife Lila who actually gives Jack some benefit of the doubt and Robby, who warms up to Jack immediately with innocent acceptance.Boughton’s courtesy with his son begins to erode as Jack extends his stay and as his own physical and mental faculties begin to deteriorate. He expresses a barely expressed urgency that Jack give him some assurance of his honest Christian belief, that he not be consigned to perdition. Jack is already in the middle of a state of perdition and he cannot pretend to express a certainty that he does not sincerely feel. The best he can say to his father is that he has tried to believe.The cast expands slightly when their physician brother Teddy arrives for a brief visit at the worst possible time. Charity discovers Jack in a severely hungover state and realizes he’s been hiding liquor in the barn and his bedroom during much of his stay and efforts at putting up a brave face have weakened as the need for his chemical crutch has become more extreme. Jack tries the best he can to appear functional with his brother and Teddy is extremely solicitous but admits that he probably won’t ever see his brother again, knowing that Jack is planning his departure soon.Teddy has contacted the other siblings about coming to visit their father as soon as possible as he doesn’t have much time left. Before Jack leaves he says he will attempt to communicate with Ames once more and be as forthcoming as possible. This is the conversation that occurred near the ending of ‘Gilead’. We know why Jack reacts so strongly to the reactions from the authorities toward the black protestors (it’s the mid-50’s) when his father says they’re making the situation harder on themselves. Jack tries to enlighten his father on the real story of Emmett Till, which his father did not fully understand. He gives up any further effort when it appears unlikely his father will be sufficiently enlightened.Jack has been writing letters to his wife, unanswered presumably, as her mail has been intercepted by her minister father. Jack will never fully explain the situation other than that he met his wife in St. Louis a few years ago and her father did not approve of their union. When his wife and their son finally appear, a few days after Jack has left, Charity understands the circumstances more fully.‘Home’ has an elegiac quality to it. There is pervasive sadness inherent in the prose as we realize that some divisions can never be mended. Jack may never change his behavior or turn his life around. Robinson expresses these conflicts through the Christian terminology she and the characters share, unapologetically. Robinson’s Christianity exists simultaneously with the acknowledgment of bitterness and desolation. Charity sums up the attitude of her parents and inherited by her:“Her parents were, in their way, fully as innocent as she was, having put aside their innocence on practical grounds, not in the belief that it had been discredited, but because they accepted the terms of life in this world as a treaty to be preferred to conflict, though by no means ideal in itself. Experience had taught them that truth had sharp edges and hard corners, and could be seriously at odds with kindness.”One thing that Robert Boughton often preached and found somewhat more difficult to live, could be summarized in the statement, “If you forgive, you may indeed still not understand, but you will be ready to understand, and that is the posture of grace.” Even if old Boughton cannot quite reach that state regarding Jack, his daughter, empathizing through her own unwise decisions and personal pain, can.