William Kent Krueger writes a mystery that is more than just a mystery. The book is "Ordinary Grace." While clearly a mystery, the book is more about growing up, about mercy and about grace.
It is 1961 and Frank is 14. Frank's older sister, Ariel, is very gifted musically, planning to enter Juilliard in the fall semester. His younger brother, Jake, suffers from stuttering; his only companion is his brother, Frank. Their father is pastor at the Methodist church. Their mother struggles with filling the role of pastor's wife -- after all, she's a lousy cook and she smokes!
The first death is a young boy who is hit by a train. Was it an accident? Or was he pushed? The next death is an itinerant hobo. Frank and Jake discover his body near the railroad tracks, where they meet an Indian camped out who goes through the dead man's pockets.
But the third tragedy is the hardest to bear. Frank's sister, Ariel, disappears. Ariel is last seen with friends at a party on the beach of the river. Sometime during the evening, Ariel simply disappears. No one at the party knew where or when she had gone; she was simply gone.
After much searching, suspicion settles on the Indian the boys had met when they found the dead hobo. Frank visits the Indian to ask about the disappearance of his sister just as the police are arriving to arrest him. He yells, "He's here!" As he runs away, the Indian says, "You've just killed me, white boy."
A few days later, the boys discover Ariel's body in the river below the railroad bridge. Did Frank save the Indian with his shout or free his sister's killer?
Losing all hope of Ariel's return devastates the family. Their mother is furious with God and her husband; and yet, when their father delivers the sermon the Sunday after her body is found, he says, "What do I have ... except the overpowering temptation to rail against God? ... I will tell you what's left: faith, hope and love." He finds grace in tragedy.
Frank is inspired to tell Jake afterward, "You're my best friend in the whole world ... you always will be."
The medical examiner's report is a shock, revealing that Ariel was pregnant when she died. The focus of the investigation changes with suspicion falling on a boy she dated.
At the luncheon following her funeral service, Frank's father is asked to say grace. When he hesitates, his mother snaps, "For God's sake, can't you, just this once, offer an ordinary grace?" It is Jake who says grace, without one stutter, "Heavenly Father, for the blessings of this food and these friends and our families, we thank you." He never stutters again.
There is another death that summer. And we do learn how Ariel died. The writing is beautiful, the story compelling and the examination of the meaning of grace intriguing.
Don't miss "Ordinary Grace" by William Kent Krueger. It's available at your Bella Vista Public Library.
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Santos is a member of the Bella Vista Public Library Foundation, co-chair of the Expansion Fundraising Cabinet and a member of the library's book selection committee. The opinions expressed in this column don't necessarily reflect the views of the newspaper.
Community on 09/17/2014