The Real Caboose

“There was no one clear point of loss. It happened over and over again in a thousand small ways and the only truth there was to learn was that there was no getting used to it.” 

Blinders. That's what Tracy's got when it comes to me. And I say hallelujah. She thanks me for not making her feel guilty for falling behind, when all the while I'm the real caboose. This is the friendship dreams are made of. The rest of you, though, can no doubt see the cold hard truth so I best be getting back on my posting horse. Might as well come outta the gate with a winner of a read.

Tray has a friend who refuses to read books with characters that make bad decisions. That's gotta wipe out at least three quarters of the literary canon, doesn't it? Sayonara Shakespeare. Bye bye Brontës. Later Leo, and while we're at it, Willa, Ernest, and Herman, to name just a few. If she held real people to the lofty standard she's set for the made-up ones, her circle of friends would be as suffocatingly small as her reading list.

Add Ann Patchett's State of Wonder to the list of reads she'll most certainly want to avoid. Her loss. This book, like life, is full of moral dilemmas, and no, the characters don't always get it right. Do any of us? But it's beautifully written and the characters are lovely, flaws and all. In the end, two choices are made: one is excruciatingly painful and while it will break your heart, you'll understand why it has to be so, and the other, if you're like me, will fill you with fury at the pure selfishness of it. No matter how you feel about the ending, I'm betting you'll be glad you came along for the ride. It's a story that will leave you thinking long after you've turned the last page—which makes it a winner in my book.

Posted by Rachel