"'Heavenly Father, for the blessings of this food and these friends and our families, we thank you. In Jesus's name, amen.'
That was it. That was all of it. A grace so ordinary there was no reason at all to remember it. Yet I have never across the forty years since it was spoken forgotten a single word."
-Jake Drum's prayer and brother Frank's reaction, from the novel
Someone had given me this paperback edition some time ago. Wish I remembered who---I'd thank him/her. I enjoyed it very much; I'll rate it a 5. Short chapters and frequent foreshadowing make it a true page-turner.
Young Frank Drum and younger brother Jake are the sons of an itinerant rural preacher in Minnesota. Frank is 13 years old the summer of 1961 when there is a series of mysterious deaths, including one of traumatic consequence to the family. The plot takes a number of twists and turns until finally a killer is revealed and it surely took ME by surprise!
The time setting was nostalgic for me since I was a teenager in 1961. There were mentions of such cultural memories as drive-in movies and TV shows like "Have Gun, Will Travel," "Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color," "The Ed Sullivan Show" and others.
The relationship between Frank and Jake was realistic and quite touching, I thought. Gus was a very likeable character, as well---though a heavy drinker and not a relative, he seemed to hold the Drum family together in many ways. Frank is telling this story from his youth 40 years later which makes for an interesting perspective. I definitely recommend Ordinary Grace.
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