Before You Know Kindness
October 9th 2007 21:28
A fellow reader once described a particular book she was reading as ‘a fluffy read’. Instantly, I knew what she meant – one of those family relationship novels that clearly define every character … kindly outlining their role and sole purpose to the story. These books also tend to tell you things more than once, either through a different character’s eyes or simply repeat the information in every other chapter.
Don’t get me wrong – these books are easy to read and give many readers exactly what they are looking for. But I was disappointed to find this was the content of Chris Bohjalian’s latest Before You Know Kindness. Having read his novel Midwives, I was hoping for a little more.
Nan Seton, the family matriarch, is overseeing the tenth summer vacation of her children and grandchildren at the family home in New Hampshire. All is as it should be until a mixture of over-sight, adolescent shenanigans and family secrets combine to create a shocking tragedy. Sound familiar? Probably does … this type of storyline is used constantly in the family relations genre that is so popular today.
However, (and this is a good example of ordinary writing having some merit) the main theme - gun laws – is a worthwhile subject exploring in discussions. And in your own mind. A well thought out and meticulously written novel can offer up a myriad of possibilities when it comes to bone-picking a topic. OK, the characters have little depth, the setting is far from original and the outcome is both predictable and soppy. But when you start to fixate on the many human, animal, commercial, moral and ethical aspects of the situation … well, the view points can be emotionally powerful and thought provoking. And that is always worthwhile.
As a teenager myself, I came terrifyingly close to (maybe) fatally harming someone with a gun. Thankfully, sense prevailed and I did not pull the trigger, even though I was positive the gun was not loaded (I was wrong). And I can never think back on that moment and not shutter … what if?
So, and here it is … Before you know kindness, do you first need to know the devastating reality of cruelty?
If you do, then guns will certainly give it to you!
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