As for Housekeeping being a subtle reflection of American law, that might be more of a suggestion than an insight. I couldn’t believe how many zoning ordinances, primarily meant to keep a certain traditional type of family in an area, reference “housekeeping” as a term that somehow encompasses that. The book does contain the literal and metaphoric meanings of “housekeeping,” but it also deals with family law (always in the background) and unconventional families.

I’d love to know if this was intentional or if it’s just a nice coincidence that made the book come together for me in a different way than it would for other people. Does anyone know Marilynne Robinson’s Twitter account??

See Trevor, you probably should have read the book sooner and we wouldn’t be spoiling it for you with all these obscure discussions. I haven’t read Gilead but I do seem to notice that those who have read both showed a marked preference for one or the other. Once you have read Home I will be looking for an explanation of why this is so.

I plan to reread it some time though, because I might have been in the wrong mood for it.

Similarly, in Home, Jack’s father is flawed in his reasoning. He thinks he’s being a good, compassionate man trying to accept Jack, but he doesn’t really accept him, does he? He feels superior, the thing about some religious people that really rankles with me. Glory is such a good friend to Jack because she does not feel superior, and in a strange way I think she looks up to Jack. The building of the siblings’ friendship was beautifully told.

Kevin, it’s interesting that you saw Jack becoming an empty character, whereas I would say that’s how the father developed. Jack showed more compassion in looking after his father than perhaps his racist and bigotted father deserved.

Candy, would you avoid Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson? I read it recently and I have not laughed so hard at a book since Owen Meany.