Gilead - Marilynne Robinson

Don't be fooled by the glacial pace that Gilead operates in, because the slowness of the novel, which I believe is deliberate, creates a ruminative atmosphere that is necessary for the novel to work. Robinson, who writes Gilead as an epistolary novel, tackles spirituality, forgiveness, and family by focusing on the life of a dying pastor in Gilead, Iowa. By focusing on the minutiae of small-town life, Robinson presents the idea that religion and spirituality can exist as a personal but deeply felt experience instead of a revelatory and grand epiphany. In times filled with anger, Robinson's Gilead is the balm that we need to counteract all the noise.