52 Books in 52 Weeks, it's called. The challenge is simple: read a book every week for a year.
61. Jayber Crow.
A big, loving novel about what every Wendell Berry missive is about: what it means to live well, and what it takes. Jayber is the longtime barber in Port William, married to Mattie Chatham, though only by his own secret covenant with himself: even she doesn’t know, though he remains faithful to her. A couple times, Berry uses the unspoken word with piercing perfection, especially in the novel’s closing sentences. And his all-pervading love for the balanced economy of the small farm-er in community underpins the work. A visit to the working 1850s farm at Greenfield Village during my reading of this novel made me feel like I’d stepped into its pages.
I can’t do anything anymore but recommend you read Berry. All of it — fiction, nonfiction. Read it.
I’m a fan of Berry’s nonfiction and have happily taught a number of his essays. I have started Jayber Crow a couple of times though and just couldn’t ever seem to get into it. It’s consternating to me, because I see a lot of value in the book and really want to love it, but then I just can’t seem to get invested in reading it. I plan to try again sometime.
Scrivener. November 17th. 2009. 8:36 am.