Book Review: About Grace by Anthony Doerr

“You ever hope for something so much? So much you can't sleep, so much your skull hurts? But the thing is, you don't even know if the thing you're wishing for is possible? You don't even know if it could happen? And it's all out of your control?”

― Anthony Doerr, About Grace

Doerr's characters are rich in charm as well as pain and desire. His understanding of human weakness is deeply touching. He writes on the strength and beauty of nature as well as the little miracles that change our life in bright writing. About Grace is incredibly talented, dazzling, and devastating.

Synopsis from Goodreads...

David Winkler begins life in Anchorage, Alaska, a quiet boy drawn to the volatility of weather and obsessed with snow. Sometimes he sees things before they happen—a man carrying a hatbox will be hit by a bus; Winkler will fall in love with a woman in a supermarket. When David dreams that his infant daughter will drown in a flood as he tries to save her, he comes undone. He travels thousands of miles, fleeing family, home, and the future itself, to deny the dream.

On a Caribbean island, destitute, alone, and unsure if his child has survived or his wife can forgive him, David is sheltered by a couple with a daughter of their own. Ultimately it is she who will pull him back into the world, to search for the people he left behind.

My reaction to this novel...

Alas! After several unsuccessful attempts, I eventually completed this book. I attempted to read this book three times, but each time I gave up and picked up another. I decided just two weeks ago that I would complete this book no matter what. It took me two weeks, but I'm now eager to begin my next book.

The book was quite good at the beginning. When he started to think back on what had happened in his adolescence, it was exciting. Having horrible dreams was terrible for me, especially when they came true. Particularly in relation to mishaps and, more significantly, deaths. His wife piqued my interest, but after knowing about her situation, I lost interest. Sandy plainly didn't love him, and it's understandable to be afraid when you see someone sleepwalking and talking about death because he dreamed of it.

There are various weak points in this book. I was so incredibly bored. I was tempted to skip a few pages, but I wanted to understand him, and it was difficult because the story got boring. It seems as though the author got tired and omitted the interesting details. Normally, I can finish a book in less than a week, but this one took me closer to three. Since I could have read more fascinating and mind-blowing books in those three weeks, I felt like I was squandering my time.

The story's flow truly just doesn't appeal to me. I can't totally recommend it.

My Overall Rating: ⭐⭐(2/5)

“Hope is something that can be very dangerous but without it life would be horribly dry. Impossible, even.”

This is absolutely true. People hope for a variety of things since it is one of the things we require in order to exist. However, if that hope is not materialized, we may believe that we have been abandoned, and we may resolve not to hope in the future since it may do us further pain. But life is pointless without hope. It has no focus. The thing about hope is that it leads us to what we most want and cherish. It will take us where we believe our lives are headed.