Of Literature and Lattes

by Katherine Reay
Scott County Library paperback 310 pages
published: 2020
genre: Christian realistic fiction, relationships

Though I like Reay's writing style, this book was a bit of a disappointment. Like The Printed Letter  Bookshop, this title takes place in Winsome and has some of the same characters. There were definitely things I liked about this story - the mother / daughter relationships, the way Ryan and little Becca interacted, Jasper and his perspective on life . . . but I didn't connect strongly with any of the main characters. Alyssa was immature and selfish (though she did grow and change during the story). Jeremy became more interesting as we learned more about his back story, but it felt like too little too late. Janet was definitely a strong center (especially having gotten to know about her in the previous book), but altogether it just wasn't that compelling. We had a great book club discussion last night, though! As always, I love hearing other people's perceptions and thoughts.

Page 49 - "Her daughter's stubbornness had been adorable at two, formidable at twelve, pummeling at eighteen, and arctic at twenty-eight. Now, after three years held hostage in the cold dark, Janet found nothing 'adorable' about blazing eyes and an unyielding spirit. They terrified her. They reminded her of herself."

This struck me because of a phenomenon I've often noticed . . . something that bothers me about another person is exactly a quality that bothers me in myself! Makes me think of specks and logs in people's eyes . . .

Page 57 - "How at ten, fifteen, or even seventeen could he tell them how he 'felt'? He'd had no way to articulate the swirling pressures, colors, emotions, and forces he couldn't separate and understand, much less name."

Yes! It can be hard for *adults* to articulate these things and I think sometimes we expect too much of children to be able to express the emotions and thoughts they're experiencing.

Page 79 - "Last week he'd started to have nightmares about the whole thing."

This is at the end of a paragraph where Pastor Zach is struggling to get to know people's names in his new congregation and worried about doing a good job. This isn't rocket science, but just thinking about the fact that ALL of us can have these concerns is reassuring. I've had many, many, many "school dreams" where it's clear that my subconscious is trying to help me problem-solve some of my concerns.

Page 90 - "Janet felt a snarky You think? rise within her. Her snappy anger still felt like an old comfortable coat she often longed to wear. It was familiar, almost soothing, and for years, she would have let the comment fly and enjoyed the sting it brought . . . "

Wow. It can be hard to change communication patterns for sure! This language is a perfect analogy and I have often failed to bite back comments I KNEW I should not say aloud. I'm so grateful for God's grace and mercy and how he's still continuing to work on me!

Page 169 - "'It's an odd form of pride, you know,' he had said over coffee one day. 'You decide you know better than God and make your own ruling.'"

Seth is pointing out to Janet that her unwillingness to forgive herself for the past is what's causing her trouble. I never used to think about this (unforgiveness toward oneself) as the sin of pride, but that's truly what it is! (Yes, I know "unforgiveness" is not an actual word, but it works for my purposes.)

Page 195 - "'Mothers and daughters. It's a unique and complex relationship. You may never be able to see me in a new way. And I'm sorry for that."

Janet and Alyssa both change and grow in their relationship but it's not easy. Just like real life!

Page 234-237 Margery's funeral and all the bits and pieces to what people said. Lovely. I especially liked what their adopted son Devon shared. And I love that we are adopted children of God!

Page 243 - "In many ways, she admitted, her approach to her mom and their dynamic felt like the old clothes in her closet. Out of date. Out of fashion. But necessary. If she didn't wear them, what would she wear? Who would she be?"

Again, Alyssa changed and grew over the course of the story. Last night, Jes commented that Alyssa seemed to be too old to be reacting in such a juvenile way toward her mom. But thought patterns and communication strategies can have a strong hold on us and be very difficult to change. We had a great conversation about family dynamics!

Page 275 - Yay! Janet finally told Alyssa to stop dumping on her! This scene was long overdue. And a few pages later, Seth basically said the same thing. "She dumps on you - pick either 'she' you want - and you dump on me." Poor Janet! Getting crap from both her daughter and her mother.

Page 281 - "How long would sharing something with Margery be his first reaction? His first desire? He breathed deep and, for the first time in too long, felt true pleasure and peace in the action. Probably until my last breath, he thought."

For anyone who has lost a loved one, that realization that you cannot share, hug, listen, see with that person . . . is hard. The love that George has for his wife doesn't go away just because she is gone. Sharing your life with someone for so many years and having them as your "go to" person . . . is hard. This was a beautiful scene.