“That was it. That was all of it. A grace so ordinary there was no reason at all to remember it. Yet I have never across the forty years since it was spoken forgotten a single word.” (quote from the book)

 

New Bremen, Minnesota, 1961. The Twins were playing their debut season, ice-cold root beers were selling out at the soda counter of Halderson’s Drugstore, and Hot Stuff comic books were a mainstay on every barbershop magazine rack. It was a time of innocence and hope for a country with a new, young president. But for thirteen-year-old Frank Drum it was a grim summer in which death visited frequently and assumed many forms. Accident. Nature. Suicide. Murder.

Frank begins the season preoccupied with the concerns of any teenage boy, but when tragedy unexpectedly strikes his family— which includes his Methodist minister father; his passionate, artistic mother; Juilliard-bound older sister; and wise-beyond-his-years kid brother— he finds himself thrust into an adult world full of secrets, lies, adultery, and betrayal, suddenly called upon to demonstrate a maturity and gumption beyond his years.

Told from Frank’s perspective forty years after that fateful summer, Ordinary Grace is a brilliantly moving account of a boy standing at the door of his young manhood, trying to understand a world that seems to be falling apart around him. It is an unforgettable novel about discovering the terrible price of wisdom and the enduring grace of God.

 You can view the book trailer HERE (sorry, for some technical reason or other we can't embed it here)

John Z. says:
"I picked this book off our cart in Lodo because I was compelled to by Atria's fabulous cover, which, as a fan of Lief Enger and Kent Haruf, absolutely spoke to me.  Krueger, as mystery fans may note, is the author of a dozen Cork O'Connor mysteries, and apparently has a slew of friends in that world, as Dennis Lehane and Lee Child are in line as enthusiastic spokespeople for this book.

This is a huge departure from Cork O'Connor that I could best pitch as a cross between Peace Like a River and Stand By Me.  There are numerous sub-plots woven into a rites of passage story of a thirteen year old boy, set against the backdrop of New Bremen, MN in 1961.  Without delving too far into the plot, which might trivialize Krueger's elegant and unpretentious prose style, suffice it to say that this book absolutely races to a somewhat unpredictable conclusion, save that the protagonist, Frank Drum, becomes a satisfyingly aware young adult amid the very powerful circumstanes that befall the town most especially his family.

It's a perfect recommend for people who read Kent Haruf's Benediction and are still thirsty six weeks afterward."

Come meet the author on Wednesday, April 17, 2013 at 7:30 pm at our Colfax Avenue Store.

Get the details HERE.