I read this book on recommendation from a friend. She loves this book and wanted to share it with me. Now, it was a far cry from the young adult literature that I have gotten used to reading, and I wondered what I was going to get out of it. Buechner beautifully crafted this earthy drama covering the life of the Biblical forefather Jacob. Although his writing style is terrific and I enjoyed his literary genius, the walk-away message for me came at the end of the novel: "[God] makes us no promises about life. I do not know what he promises to the dead if he promises anything...He gives us daughters and sons so our seed may live after us and the promise he has made us may be kept to the world's luck and blessing" (p. 273). Since Jacob's time, it seems that God has revealed more about death; however, I believe that God put us on earth to live here and help make it the best place it can be for the future. The book reminded me that as I go through struggles and challenges, God is working out his plan for myself and for generations after me. I have a responsibility to live this life well rather than to avoid it by staring only at the glories of heaven.
On a somewhat related note, tragedy and mistakes and deception and out-right evil are part of Jacob's story, but somehow it all turns to God's purposes. It reminds me of Tolkien's Iluvatar singing Malkor's discord back into the musical theme that created the world and cast its story. Hopefully, I have my eyes open to see how to live well now on this earth and to turn darkness back into light as best as I am able.
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