'Benediction' Tells of Crime, Kindness in Small Town

Book Review: Benediction by Kent Haruf

Reviewed by Greta Ulrich

Benediction begins with a shocking medical diagnosis for an older man and his devoted wife.   

But this lyrical novel truly shows the cycle of life as Dad Lewis and Mary navigate many of life’s trials in their long and loving marriage.

Dad Lewis owns the hardware store in the small town of Holt, Colorado.  Haruf has written about Holt in his novels Plainsong and its sequel,  Eventide.    It has been nine years since Eventide was published and Haruf’s beautifully written novel shows his painstaking work.   His characters are well-drawn and authentic.

There is sadness in the story and there are disappointments.   Dad Lewis had a falling out with his son, Frank, who left home years ago and has never returned.    Dad Lewis has never liked his son-in-law and even at the end of his life they cannot reconcile.  Dad Lewis is a genuine character and he will not pretend his feelings have changed.  But he truly loves his wife and his daughter, Lorraine, and their relationships are some of the most emotionally moving ones in the novel.

The story goes back and forth in time and includes Dad Lewis’ confrontation with a former employee named Clayton who was stealing from him for over a year. Dad fires Clayton and tells him to leave town but because he knows Clayton has a wife and child, he does not go to the police. For years he sends Clayton’s wife money out of a sense of duty.

The people in this small town bond together and help each other. An elderly widow and her middle-aged daughter help a young girl who recently lost her mother. This fine novel truly shows the kindness people can show one another when it is needed.

Benediction is available for checkout at the Niles Public Library District.  The library also owns the audiobook version of Benediction.

Be the first to know. Like Niles-Morton Grove Patch on Facebook