I had a thought bouncing around in my head last night and into this morning. We got home late from a dinner out last night and I skipped writing and then this morning I didn’t bother to write my thought down because I was again mistaken that I would remember. No thought is so good that it gets remembered.
Perhaps it was about the book I am reading, The Sentence. It could very well be as that book is one that gives you a lot to think about. I finished it this afternoon. Before finishing it though I was struck with how it handled the pandemic. I had no idea what timeframe the book was set in and then all of a sudden covid shows up and casts a shadow over everything.
It was a realistic portrayal of what covid was like. One minute we’re living our lives and then news starts trickling in of a mysterious virus and before anyone knows what is going on it is here and causing mass disruptions to our lives.
That wasn’t all The Sentence reminds us about 2020. It takes place in Minnesota and so the killing of George Floyd and civil unrest that followed was a central plot point along with covid. None of this was the center of the story. The story was a personal narrative of an indigenous woman working at a book store after being released from prison.
The Sentence is a good novel. It is one of the best I have read this year but I would say that about any of the books I have read this year. They are all the best and all my favorites. Next year will be much the same and thanks to Christmas gifts and my own compulsive and impulsive nature I already have a shelf full of books to read for 2022.
The big thing is we have to get there. If I had known how difficult things would get financially with kids I wouldn’t change a thing. We should never regret our children. It is a parent’s role to sacrifice for their children. I think that was the idea. The meaning of sacrifice and giving meaning to our personal struggle. I have a lot to say about that and I will write it down as soon as I finish here.
David Huzzard Writes 