This Pulitzer Prize winning novel is set in the late author’s native Tennessee in 1915, with the iconic loving Folette family, Jay, his wife Mary, and their two young children, Rufus and Catherine. When Jay drives to visit his ailing father, he is involved in an accident and is killed instantly. What evolves from there, is seemingly endless waiting to hear the news, then equally long periods of time as Mary attempts to explain the finality of the tragedy to the children, too young to fully conceive of the concept of death. There then ensues the funeral, with conflicts over the officiating.
The writing is poetical (and in part actual poetry) and the pathos is heart-wrenching. Deep different interpretations about the finality of death are discussed in detail.
Long sections in italics outline the children’s experiences and understanding. (These could be skipped or just skimmed over by the reader who wants to deal only with the main plot.).
There are many Bible quotes that seem to give Mary some comfort, but just annoy others in the extended family.
This was a reread for me as I had read it many years ago, but it is well worth the effort.
4/5
The Passionate Reader 