This quarantine has put a damper in our plans for Sister's Book Club, but we are still reading the books sans meetings about them.  This month's feature is called Absence of Grace by Ann Warner.  I downloaded this book back in 2018 because I had previously read a book by Ann (Dreams for Stones) and was enthralled in it.  Absence of Grace took me some time to get into, but I am glad I did.  There was such a tie between real history, ethnicity, and fiction that once I got into it, I couldn't put it down.

 Absence of Grace is a women's fictional history book that centers around 2 main characters- Clen and Gerrum.  Clen is a woman that has been through a lot of personal trauma and doubts herself in so many ways because of the secrets she keeps.  Gerrum is a man that has his own struggles and goes so far as leaving his life an engaged lawyer in Seattle to a single man that gives tours on boats in Alaska.  Both very private people meet and tell their stories and over time fall in love.  It is not a romance story per se, but following these two on their journey has opened up a lot of emotions and questions for me.

Have you ever read a book that made you think there was more to the story?  Have you ever read a book that brings you to another book?  There is mention in this book of another book; Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin that captured my interest.  It is going to be a tough read as it explains a lot of political and societal issues from the 1960s that are still issues today.  I think growth comes with education and by reading books, I am able to understand points of view I never would have before.

   

Over the years, I have read some really interesting books, but have never thought about how they influence me.  If I think about it now, I can say reading a book has turned me onto new music, exploring different genres of books, and broadening my viewing pleasure of movies and television shows.  

What are you reading?

What book affected you?