Sometimes I analyze the weirdest things. The other day I caught myself thinking about Oreo Cookies. For several minutes I mulled over the simple complexities of the Oreo. Its so simple, yet so good. Two chocolate wafers with a cream filling between. Nothing much there to it, and yet brilliantly constructed. Beauty truly can be found in the mundane.

I found myself pulling on this same thread when thinking about Tobacco Road. Erskine Caldwell introduces us the the Lesters, whom the descriptions of simple would be an understatement. They don't have much, and not just in the material sense, but in the intellectual category as well. This simple family lives on a simple road, in a simple town, in a simple county. And yet within that simplicity is a deep complexity that like the Oreo cookie, will have you coming back for more.

This is one of those novels were the imagery runs deep and you are going to have to take several passes at this to catch it all. After only one reading of this novel there was 3 themes that kept coming back to me. If anything Caldwell's book made me do a lot of reflecting and mulling over these forth coming thoughts.

The land the Lesters live on, which they are supposed to farm, which is supposed to provide for them, is what is ultimately their downfall. The land is covered with overgrowth and useless trees that can not be sold for fire wood. It is depleted of its nutrients, its life giving elements. Ultimately it is no good to this family and in the end, the land ultimately destroys them. I see this as a easy parallel to the materialism of our current culture. It the sirens calls for happiness, contentment, and life. But like the land it leaves us wanting more, barren, and unsatisfied.

I also kept going back to the fact that Jeeter was either unwilling or usable to change with the current times. It seemed that farming and specifically farming cotton was no longer a viable means of occupation in this region and yet Jeeter insisted on continuing this tradition. Even if it meant starvation. I kept oscillating between respect for Jeeter for continuing what he believed in and disgust for his selfishness and inability to change for the good of his family. It made me reflect on what am I unwilling to change despite the obviously shift in the culture and how do you decide what ideas are important enough to take to the grave and draw a line in the sand?

It also struck me that this novel was completely void of any selfless acts. I am unable to think of a character who actions were not motivated by self interest. Every actions was rooted in selfishness. It was a worrisome look into a culture that is unable to look outside itself.

If you are looking for a summer beach novel, this is not for you. But if you are looking for a short novel to discuss with others, or contemplate with yourself, then take a trip down Tobacco Road

“That was it. That was all of it. A grace so ordinary there was no reason at all to remember it. Yet I have never across the forty years since it was spoken forgotten a single word. Ordinary Grace By William Kent Krueger

Ordinary Grace is set in New Bremen, Minnesota in the summer of 1961.  Nathan Drum is a methodist pastor and married to Ruth.  This is not the life Ruth thought she was going to lead.  Her husband Nathan had been changed by the War.  The men who came back from the war dealt with the effects in a variety of ways, and Nathan dellt with his using his newly found faith.  This on the surface would seem like an ideal approach to dealing with wars effects.  But this was not the man Ruth had initially fell for nor the life she intended for herself. Over the years Pastor Drum presided over several congregations and their family grew.  Nathan and Ruth had 3 children: Ariel, Frank, and Jake.  The summer of 1961 would be one like no other. It would be a summer of death. A series of deaths in fact.  These deaths would shake the Drum family and the town of New Bremen.  Each death would seem to crack and test the families foundation of love, strength, and faith. As the summer progressed and the tragedies mounted,  the novels two main characters Frank and Jake are pushed to the brink. They observe how tragedy is handled by their father, mother, grandparents, friends, and town.  As they struggle with their own comprehension of these events, they realize that both are consciously or subconsciously looking for and longing for one thing.  A miracle.  They need it. Both these brothers are loosing their orientation.  Their feet are slipping from there once solid ground. Their constant is crumbling and when things seem as if they are irreversible they are  given something. “That was it. That was all of it. A grace so ordinary there was no reason at all to remember it. Yet I have never across the forty years since it was spoken forgotten a single word."  A small ordinary grace in a small moment of time.  It was nothing of what they asked, but more than what they needed. It was not flashy, it did not turn heads, and most probably missed it.  It was an ordinary grace.

As the novel came to its conclusion, I continually found myself pondering what ordinary grace was occurring in my life. I started to look for signs of ordinary grace throughout the day.  When I first started to look, it was hard to see those ordinary graces, but little by little they would come into focus.  Those ordinary graces started to looked like: a small almost imperceptible hug from my daughter as she fell asleep in my arms.  The attentive and listening eyes from my son as I teach him the most meaningless task.  A warm breeze blowing over my family on a picture perfect summer night walk by the lakeside. The laugh of a loved one.  A ray of warm sun that you can almost touch as you pass through.  These are ordinary graces and regrettably I often pass them by. Usually they are nothing moments, but when you are looking for them they reveal themselves as more....as ordinary grace. They are small graces at the end of a long day.  They are dew drop graces during a season drought and I often miss them.  I have a small hunch that I am not the only one that is blind to these.  Our culture today idolizes being busy.  Our every waking moment is filled with something.  From our car rides, to our smartphones and smart TV's, and advertisement everywhere, we are always processing information.  We are constantly being bombarded with stimulus from every angle.  This must certainly cloud our ability to see out into the world.  It reminds me of a survival tip I once read.  If your car somehow ends up in the water and is sinking, you have to wait for the car to fill up with water before you can swim out of the window or open the door.  You can't fight the powerful water gushing in your window.  You have to wait for the water to stop flowing in before you can move out.  It's similar to our daily lives in our current culture.  With so much coming in, how do we expect to see out?  I am honestly not surprised why we don't see God anymore. How can we?  There is too much blocking our view and in those few rare instances typically during tragedy when we do consciously try to see him we look for the miracle.  We look for the burning bush. We want to see the parting of the sea. We ask for the dead man to be raised to life or the water turned to wine.  We want "the sign". Those may come occasionally, but I don't think thats a regular occurrence. What does occur regularly are the ordinary graces.  Are we seeing those? Are we looking for the wrong thing? I will be the first to admit that I don't see these ordinary graces enough.  But why don't we? It thinks its simple actually.  Because who wants ordinary!  Ordinary is bland and not exciting. We want unique, special, customized. We want our individual made to order miracle.  But there is beauty in the ordinary.  Beauty in the routine, the mundane, the simple.  And when we focus our gaze correctly, there we will see an abundance of the ordinary grace.  And in the ordinary grace is where we might find God. 

Like most the novels I enjoy or recommend they not only have a great story, but speak to something greater in you.  William Kent Krueger's novel Ordinary Grace does just that.  I invite you to slow down with me and intentionally observe the daily ordinary grace.

For several years, I have mentioned to friends that I have wanted to start a book club, or open a bookstore, or start a book blog. I thought it was time that I stopped talking about something and start doing. So this is my start. The Lakeside Cover. I want to cover all things books. I hope to cover book reviews, possibly author interviews, literature topics, and even a possible  book club (the dream is still alive).  Mainly, I hope to provide a small space to foster discussion for those who enjoy all things books as well. I enjoy all sorts of books and I plan on covering a wide range of genres.  I think you will find something that peaks your interest and I am always open to suggestions. I would by no means call myself a writer, so please don't judge this blog by its cover!