Night Bird Calling

by Cathy Gohlke

Dakota County Library paperback 420 pages

Published: 2020

Genre: Christian historical fiction

I didn't even get a copy of this before the book club (April), so I didn't go that month. I'm glad I've read it, though the focus on abusive relationships and the constant fear of some of the female characters wasn't exactly enjoyable.

Back of book:  "Appalachia, 1941. When Lilliana Swope's beloved mother dies, Lilliana gathers her last ounce of courage and flees her abusive husband for the home of her only living relative in the foothills of No Creek, North Carolina. Though Hyacinth Belvidere hasn't seen Lilliana since she was five, she offers her cherished great-niece a safe harbor. Their joyful reunion inspires plans to revive Aunt Hyacinth's estate and opens a public library where everyone is welcome, no matter the color of their skin."

Page 60 - "What struck me more than the color of his skin was the hunger and wonder in the eyes of Olney's nephew, Marshall Raymond, as he took in Aunt Hyacinth's library for the first time.

'All those books!' Marshall had whistled, slipping his hat from his head with the reverence one might offer in a great cathedral. 'Never in my life did I think I'd see so many books in one place.'"

Any time someone is awed and pleased by a library, it makes me happy. I love libraries and books!

Page 71 - "If only I could have God's forgiveness, His love and approval, life would be complete. But I knew that wasn't possible. God was too holy to look at sinners and smile - and I was chief among sinners, 'a snake in the grass,' as my father had once labeled me. That message resounded through all my growing years and was reinforced in my married years."

This refrain of hers got old, but it was a reminder to me that words have power. Parents can send messages of hope, encouragement, and love. They can also tear down, discourage, and hurt. 

Page 119 - "'In the end, when people hear something ugly long enough, they believe it's true. They want to believe it - to set it in a box they can understand and label.'"

In this passage, Lilliana is referring to Ida Mae's gossip. Again, the power of words can be used to heal or to harm. In some ways, Ida Mae seemed like the darkest character in the book! (And that's saying a lot, seeing how many abusive men were part of the story.

Page 141 - "Right now they're stirring the pot. Once the Klan gets worked up and going, it's like a fire; it smolders and smokes, looking for a place to vent, until it explodes. It's that venting, that explosion that worries me."

The KKK . . . those white robes and hoods seem to be evil from the pits of hell. How does burning a cross on a black family's lawn communicate anything other than hate and evil? Did these people really think they were Christians? Did they read their Bibles? Ugh!

Page 153 - "'Your aunt bore no children. The child she raised is gone. She needs to give you her stories, your family's stories. While there is time, if there is still time, listen. It is the gift that matters most to her.'"

When the doctor tells this to Lilliana, it made me think of the stories I *didn't* listen to or write down. Now that my parents are gone, so are there stories. (Except the few that I do have recorded.)

Page 173 - "Of course he was 'Jesse' to those he'd grown up with. Certainly he was to Miz Hyacinth, though she never referred to him as anything but Reverend Willard from the moment he returned from seminary, and she insisted others do the same. She' accorded him all the respect she'd have given an older, more experienced pastor, and never failed to let him know how his sermons blessed her. If only she knew how she had blessed him! He hoped she knew."

 

I liked this - that even though Hyacinth was the elder to be respected, she chose to show this young man respect in his profession and in their community. (Yes, I know respect can and should be a two-way street.) I just liked this observation.

 

Page 174 - "Was she a believer in Jesus Christ as her Savior? Did she know she could turn to Him in her need even if she couldn't turn to another human being? Jesse didn't know. He'd assumed she believed, being Miz Hyacinth's niece, having grown up in a church - and above all because of her kind and loving heart. It went without saying, didn't it?"

 

No, it doesn't go without saying. We don't know what's in someone else's mind or heart. We need to share the Good News and encourage people to talk about their faith journey. Don't assume!

 

Page 261 - "'I didn't mean you ain't welcome - if it was up to me.' Celia mourned that it was not and she knew it. 'I just mean you need somewhere to lay your head and be warm, a table to set your feet under.'"

 

I love that it is a child who desires to show hospitality and grace to the young couple down on their luck! I wish it were up to the Celias of the world to extend hope and blessing! Sometimes we need to be more childlike in our faith.

 

 Page 309 - "'Such news (bombing of Pearl Harbor) could strike fear in all our hearts did we not know that You are in charge of this world and our lives, that nothing happens without Your knowledge, and that You alone can bring good out of the horrors man perpetrates for evil. Protect the men and women in our armed services. . . . '"

The pastor's prayer is so wonderful. Reading it in this book was a blessing! I didn't type all of it here, but it's all wonderful.

Page 379 - "Tell that preacher over to Saints Delight to bury me beside my Shadrach on the mountain and say words over me. Never mind that I wouldn't attend his church. I found God on His own mountain. No church building could hold me after that."

Granny Chree was such a cool character! The letter she left had lots of instructions, but I love the idea that "no church building" could hold her. She was a nature gal for sure!

Page 398 - "What I saw was hope. Hope that things might mend. Fragile, but real."

Yes! Hope has so much power and possibility!

Page 423 - "Sometimes they know of nowhere and no one to run to, no one to trust - have even been taught not to trust outsiders or the police, or are so beaten down they don't believe in their own worth or that they deserve love or protection. They may even believe they deserve the abuse and become unable to stand for themselves."

In her afterword, Gohlke addresses the "horror of abuse" that she writes about. It's pretty powerful. She is a talented woman who is making a difference with her writing. Praise God!