Shannon's Library

LET’S GET EXCITED ABOUT THIS BOOK!

Charles and James are joint ministers at the Third Presbyterian Church in 1960’s New York City. Together, with their wives, Lily and Nan, they face the challenges of life and love during tumultuous times. This beautifully written novel is a testament to all types of faith. Faith in God, in family, in marriage, in friendship, in self and in humanity. Not many novels these days dare to tackle the topic of God. This novel does so in a poignant and refreshing manner. The world is in such upheaval right now and this was the perfect breath I needed this week. Keep reading below for my full review!

Shannon’s Rating — PG-13

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LET’S TALK ABOUT THIS BOOK!

Here’s the weird thing. I have no idea how I ended up with this book. My husband gave me a few books off of my Amazon wishlist for Valentine’s Day. This was one of the books. When I pulled it out of the gift bag I had absolutely no recollection of putting it on my wishlist or what it was even about. I generally don’t choose books from celebrity book clubs. (You know the ones… Oprah, Reese and Jenna.) They just don’t tend to be books that I enjoy. That’s why I was so surprised when I received this one and it had the “Read with Jenna” sticker on it. I decided to read it first from the stack, mostly because I assumed I wouldn’t enjoy it right from the start and would be able to return it. But as I began to read, I was shocked. Is this really a book about God? About faith? About religion? I kept reading and devoured it in a day.

“The Dearly Beloved,” by Cara Wall centers around the lives of four characters; Charles, Lily, James and Nan. We meet each character separately and get to know their backgrounds through their own individual points of view. I loved this way of starting the novel. As a reader, I got to know each character and how their early life experiences would contribute to their feelings on faith and God later on in the novel.

I think what really drew me into this book was my connection with each of these characters in different ways. I could see myself in each of them; both their good and their not-so-good qualities. Each character approached faith in different ways. Charles had a strong, undeniable faith promoting experience that led him to God. Lily had a traumatic experience with loss as a child that drew her away from God. James also dealt with trauma in his youth but that drove him to want to do good in the world, regardless of whether or not there was a God. Nan grew up in the secure knowledge of God that wrapped around her like a warm, comforting blanket.

I was raised in a very religious home and community. I was taught about God from a very early age. I’ve felt God’s love over and over in my life. Regardless of my many faith affirming experiences I’ve had over the years, I still – every single day – wonder about the reality of God. I don’t know why. I’m sure there are people out there that have no trouble believing in God. It probably comes naturally to them, and they never even have to think about it. But for me, even for someone who has been immersed in religion, faith and God my entire life, I still have to make the decision every day on whether or not to believe. When moments of doubt pop up, I stop and remind myself of the times I’ve felt close to God and have felt a connection to Him. This is an almost daily cycle for me. Doubt, question, panic, reassurance, and then peace again. Usually this all takes place in the span of about 5 minutes when I have a quiet moment on a walk or in my car. In spite of these moments, I very much consider myself a Believer. Believing in God brings me peace and happiness in my life. I don’t know how I would endure life without my faith in God. I make that choice every single day and will continue to make that choice every single day.

In “The Dearly Beloved,” when Charles finally allowed himself to believe in God, he realized the pain he had been feeling was from forbidding himself to believe…

“God existed; God was real. He could not explain this new conclusion, except to say that when he put it away, it was agony, and when he brought it out, it was the deepest, most beautiful relief he had ever known.”

Like Charles, believing in God brings great relief and peace to my life. Regardless of your religious affiliation, this book provides a beautiful and honest glimpse into how faith affects our lives. The author does a remarkable job of showing all sides of belief, and lack of belief, in a non-biased manner.

This was the exact book I needed to read this week. The world has felt so heavy right now. I still don’t know how this book ended up in my hands, but the timing was just right. Dare it be, miraculous!?! “The Dearly Beloved” allowed me to spend some time contemplating my own faith – which always brings me much-needed peace.

My favorite quote from the book comes from when Charles described his love for the school library. He loved its majestic staircases, the musty smell of old books, and the bookshelves that climbed to the ceiling.

“He loved it especially on days like this, when it was empty, steeped in quiet, electric with promise, as if the books were breathing, alive as big dogs sleeping at the foot of his bed.”

Truly…is there anything better in life than libraries full of books and big dogs sleeping at the foot of our beds? I think not!

Cara Wall gave a great interview about her inspiration for “The Dearly Beloved” and how she didn’t start out intending to write a book about God. It’s only about 5 minutes long and quite interesting. Check it out below!