Gilead
Categories: Literature & Fiction
Marilynne Robinson's 2004 novel, her second after Housekeeping, takes the form of a letter written in 1956 by John Ames, an elderly Congregationalist pastor in the small town of Gilead, Iowa. Knowing he is dying of a heart condition, Ames writes to his young son about his life, his faith and his forebears, including a grandfather who fought for abolition in Kansas. His reflections are unsettled by the return of Jack Boughton, the troubled son of his oldest friend. The novel explores faith, forgiveness and fathers and sons.
Recommended by 4 people
- Barack Obama: “I first picked up Gilead, one of your most wonderful books, here in Iowa. ... I just fell in love with the character, fell in love with the book”
- Ryan Holiday
- Oprah Winfrey
- John Green: “An older book I always like to recommend: Gilead by Marilynne Robinson, which is both an excellent novel and kind of a religious one, which is a very rare combination in my experience.”