Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Bookish Tuesday: A Prayer for the Dying

When I first picked up A Prayer for the Dying from the library, I didn't think I would like it much. Not because of the content or anything, but because it was only 180 pages. As I started, I worried that there wouldn't be enough time for characters to develop and the plot to complete itself.

I was wrong, of course. The book was incredibly moving. There were parts that were so difficult to read because I thought I might just start crying. The only thing more difficult than that was getting used to the story being written in 2nd person. I haven't read a book like that since the Choose Your Own Adventure series when I was a kid.

A Prayer for the Dying is a story of a post Civil War town, where the main protagonist is the pastor, sheriff, and coroner. The story revolves around an outbreak of diptheria that begins to ravage the town, and the man has to deal with all of his roles in the town and how it begins to affect him mentally and physically.

While parts of the book seemed to move a bit slower than others (the end just blew past), I love how well it was paced to fit the 180 pages. That plus the questions brought up about faith and morality made it a book that I'm now adding to my "whenever someone asks for a recommendation" list.

No comments: