On Monday, I read the final words of Southernmost, a novel by Silas D. House. In case you aren't familiar with Silas House, let me offer a brief introduction.
Silas House was born in Lily, Laurel County, Kentucky in 1971. He grew up mostly in Leslie County. He has degrees from Sue Bennett College, Eastern Kentucky University and an MFA in Creative Writing from Spalding University. Silas is an author, poet and playwright. His works include, "Clay's Quilt," "A Parchment of Leaves," "The Coal Tattoo," and "Eli the Good." His plays include "The Hurting Part," and "Long Time Traveling." Currently, Silas is Associate Professor of Appalachian Studies at Berea College.
This is the Amazon summary of Southernmost.
"In this stunning novel about judgment, courage, heartbreak, and change, author Silas House wrestles with the limits of belief and the infinite ways to love.
In the aftermath of a flood that washes away much of a small Tennessee town, evangelical preacher Asher Sharp offers shelter to two gay men. In doing so, he starts to see his life anew—and risks losing everything: his wife, locked into her religious prejudices; his congregation, which shuns Asher after he delivers a passionate sermon in defense of tolerance; and his young son, Justin, caught in the middle of what turns into a bitter custody battle.
With no way out but ahead, Asher takes Justin and flees to Key West, where he hopes to find his brother, Luke, whom he’d turned against years ago after Luke came out. And it is there, at the southernmost point of the country, that Asher and Justin discover a new way of thinking about the world, and a new way of understanding love.
Southernmost is a tender and affecting book, a meditation on love and its consequences."
I was, as they say, feeling all the feels, when I read the last words of the novel. As a preacher, the story included elements of ministry, church and small town that came near to me. That is to say, I can identify in some ways with the characters and the setting. I can also identify with a love so intense that one might be willing to make desperate sacrifices for the sake of that love. There is a good amount of critique in the book. There is a good amount of darkness. There are also redemptive moments and characters in the book -- and I am not going to say any more about that because I want you to read it. Perhaps if you do we might engage in a conversation about The Everything.
Today, I also started to read my next sabbatical book, "The Sermon Without End: A Conversational Approach to Preaching." It's going to be right up my preaching alley. More on this book in a later post.
Peace and Love,
Jerry
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