He helped me get going on the topic of the food. You know, the Ellerbecks, the other "church" family in town, seemed to treat Tom like a proper stranger/vet/guest. They hosted him, fed him, introduced him to others, looked for ways to keep him in the community. None of those ideas of hospitality or Christian charity seemed to occur to Keach. (Alice, not a good read, but certainly didn't stand up to the man.) To quibble over whether a war veteran can stay in your church is kind of the height of bad faith, I think.
I need to go back and read Keach's bit at the end about not being understood by Tom and other regular joes. Like I think he was proud of himself for pointing out he figured out Tom and Moon despised him, but he didn't have the ingenuity to trace that back to why that might be.
And what was with the Keachs' house? That huge old place that they couldn't afford, or were too cheap, to do anything with? They could only bathe on certain days and just seemed to sit around all evening in drafty, oversized, comfortless rooms. Of course, Alice had her roses, but that seems like small comfort.
Yeah, I loved the Ellerbecks. I love how they thought it was appropriate to send Tom out to preach! Because they were all comfy at home and didn't want to go out again. A very democratic way to approach the Lord's work! Anyone can do it, really. And Tom's "sermon" was great. After they ditched the cold, awkward religious "text," there seemed to be something authentically sacred about the way they all just sat around taking an interest in one another and quizzing Tom about his work.
Tom being thrust into the pulpit like that gave me such anxiety! I couldn't imagine being told to go give a sermon in some church I'd never even been to.
Yeah. And supposedly he was different at home. But, heck, everyone is different at home, in some way. That doesn't redeem being a jerk in public.
ReplyDeleteEvery story needs a villain, I suppose. Convenient that he was the love interest's husband.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that he didn't appreciate the mural put him on my shitlist right away.
Hehe. Your comment has me thinking about all the fictional characters on my own shitlist.
ReplyDeleteHe helped me get going on the topic of the food. You know, the Ellerbecks, the other "church" family in town, seemed to treat Tom like a proper stranger/vet/guest. They hosted him, fed him, introduced him to others, looked for ways to keep him in the community. None of those ideas of hospitality or Christian charity seemed to occur to Keach. (Alice, not a good read, but certainly didn't stand up to the man.) To quibble over whether a war veteran can stay in your church is kind of the height of bad faith, I think.
ReplyDeleteI need to go back and read Keach's bit at the end about not being understood by Tom and other regular joes. Like I think he was proud of himself for pointing out he figured out Tom and Moon despised him, but he didn't have the ingenuity to trace that back to why that might be.
ReplyDeleteAnd what was with the Keachs' house? That huge old place that they couldn't afford, or were too cheap, to do anything with? They could only bathe on certain days and just seemed to sit around all evening in drafty, oversized, comfortless rooms. Of course, Alice had her roses, but that seems like small comfort.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I loved the Ellerbecks. I love how they thought it was appropriate to send Tom out to preach! Because they were all comfy at home and didn't want to go out again. A very democratic way to approach the Lord's work! Anyone can do it, really. And Tom's "sermon" was great. After they ditched the cold, awkward religious "text," there seemed to be something authentically sacred about the way they all just sat around taking an interest in one another and quizzing Tom about his work.
Tom being thrust into the pulpit like that gave me such anxiety! I couldn't imagine being told to go give a sermon in some church I'd never even been to.
ReplyDelete