Author: Mary Francois Rockcastle
Host: Joanne
From Publisher's Weekly
“As she did in her debut, Rainy Lake, Rockcastle once again melds family drama with a palpable sense of place. . . . Suffused, appropriately, with imagery of the natural and man-made worlds, Rockcastle’s skillful pacing weaves together the family’s tumultuous history with its uncertain present. A mature love story offering a clear-eyed glimpse of the challenges and rewards of a long marriage.”—Publishers WeeklyFrom New York Journal of Books
Told from the alternating perspectives of a husband and wife, In Caddis Wood explores the competing rhythms of romantic love, family life, and professional ambition, refracted through the changing seasons of a long marriage. Beneath the surface, affecting their collective future, beats the resilient and endangered heart of nature.Hallie’s career as a poet has always come second to her family, while Carl’s life has been defined by his demanding and internationally acclaimed work as an architect. The onset of a debilitating illness and the discovery of Hallie’s cache of letters from another man set Carl reeling and cause him to question not only his previously unshakable belief in himself but also his faith in Hallie’s devotion. As the memories multiply and the family gathers at their longtime summerhouse in the woods of Wisconsin, Hallie and Carl’s grown-up daughters offer unexpected avenues toward forgiveness and healing.
With warmth and generosity, Mary François Rockcastle captures the way that the aging mind imbues the present with all the many layers of the past as she illuminates the increasingly unbreakable bonds borne of a shared life.
“Rockcastle has written a simple, but not simplistic, satisfying story of love, loss, marriage, fidelity, and family. . . . This family is so real, so understandable, so in need of comfort each in their own way, that we want to embrace them in their grief, applaud their reconciliations, and learn from their loving fortitude.”
From Stephen Wilbers: What a beautifully rendered, lyrically written story of love, loss, and redemption. I'm impressed by Mary's knowledge of both the architectural and the natural worlds and especially appreciative of her descriptions of the Wisconsin woods near Spooner, not far from my own cabin. For me, "Take my hand, son," was the emotional climax of the book, given my own long journey with my 87-year-old father and his slow, irreversible capitulation to the same disease that Carl succumbs to. I don’t like thinking about what lies ahead for Dad, but it was illuminating for me to read Mary's eloquent description of Carl’s final weeks, days, hours, and minutes. My only misgiving about the novel is that the portrayal of loss and grief seemed unrelenting. I could have used a few more bright spots between the sobbing and the weeping. Still, I thought it a great read and a compelling story written by a talented writer who has done so much to help other writers learn their craft. I'm sorry I had to miss Tuesday night's discussion, and I'm eager to hear how our other book club members responded to the book.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your POV, Steve! We missed you during the conversation. It looks like you would have had a lot to add.
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