Abide with Me

by Elizabeth Strout

Meet Reverend Tyler Caskey, a man facing a spiritual crisis in late 1950s New England. He recently lost his wife and is left to mourn with two young daughters. The man has no clue about moving forward. His job is suffering, his children are suffering, and his parishioners are now suffering.

His ailing parishioners and their inability to sympathize with Tyler become more of a problem than Tyler ever could have imagined. The combination of parish and personal problems will lead Tyler to a make or break situation. Can he overcome his burdens? Or will he collapse under the extreme pressures of his life?

This is a slow and quiet, but eventually satisfying novel. As always, Strout creates memorable characters and a very vivid setting. It may start out slowly, but this novel is worth the work and the wait.

5/28/13