All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Steifvater

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater is one of my favorite books.

I loved her Raven Cycle series.

But All the Crooked Saints––Stiefvater's latest novel––hit a soft place inside me, where love meets darkness longing for redemption. In her book, she tells a story rife with magical realism that strips away the stupidity of religion and pokes at the characters that are hurting and want to be healed. This is the sort of story I love––where an author is able to deal with real life issues in ways that feel like fantasy. Or maybe this was a fantasy, that felt like real life.

Three cousins live with their extended family on a ranch in Colorado where pilgrims will come hoping for a miracle. One of the cousins is can provide a miracle but what happens after that is up to the pilgrim. And what happens when that balance of miracle and darkness is tipped? Thus the story begins to move forward in interesting ways.  It results in a whirlwind of life-changing events for all three cousins.

I found that it took me awhile for the story to settle in and make sense, so I encourage readers to push through the seemingly confusing first pages. It is well worth the read.

I don't know if Stiefvater is a Christian or just someone who understands the darkness that exists in the world. Her view of how we should deal with that darkness is beautifully rendered through this story.  We are all crooked saints.

Peace Like A River by Leif Enger

I only read Peace Like a River because a friend recommended it....even named his first-born after its main character, Reuben. Its soft cover art and even the title itself would not have drawn me to put it in my library bag on a normal weekly run.

Reuben, a pre-teen boy,  tells the story of how he, his father, and spunky younger sister all go on a journey to look for his older brother, who is on the run from the law.

I thought this book would be soft (like the cover) and perhaps too steeped in religious language (the title) to cover any grit there needed to be in a story involving death and law and love. While this story certainly errs on the side of "family-friendly" in terms of how it handled difficult themes, I was pleased that it still gave those themes the weight they deserved.

There are elements of magical realism that I struggled with throughout, but they become increasingly important to Reuben on their journey. I wouldn't add this title to my "best books" list, primarily for how the magical pieces are used in the culmination of the story (no spoilers, sorry).

Overall, I was glad to have read it. It was different than other books I typically choose in that it held onto an ideal worldview in the midst of tragedy. While this bothered me for much of the book, I still valued the story Enger shared through Reuben's eyes.