Ordinary Grace By William Kent Krueger

 

Ordinary Grace

By William Kent Krueger

In the summer of 1961, thirteen-year-old Frank Drum and his stuttering brother Jake stumble upon a man over a dead body in a place they shouldn't be playing. They tell the authorities and their pastor father. Thus begins a summer of deaths surrounding this family.

Frank and Jake live with their father, a pastor, their mother who once wanted to be famous, and their sister who is their mother's pride and favorite child.

Frank and Jake live in a small town where everyone knows everyone else. It is in Minnesota, on land that once belonged to the Sioux, and where some tribe members still reside. The line between who can and cannot be trusted is thin and changing, almost amorphous, in this small town called New Bremen. The deaths that come that summer are the result of murder, accident, and suicide. The next to occur hits close to home, when Frank and Jake's sister Ariel is found in the river. The tow turns its gaze to her rich boyfriend Karl, who denies it, and with good reason. New Bremen does not lack in suspects. Chief among them, besides the Indian who was next to the first body and who has Ariel's necklace in his possession, is a bully named Morris. Then Karl turns up dead by his own hand.

Amidst all of this death Frank and Jake try to find solace in each other. And it is their relationship that holds the book together. They are two years apart, very different people. Frank is a trouble maker with a bad mouth who breaks the rules and who believes in God. Jake is a stutterer, scared of people and being the center of attention, a rule follower who may not believe. Jake follows Frank everywhere and the two are best friends, even through their differences and various falling outs. The deaths they have to deal with both force them apart and bring them together. Their strengths unite them in the end.

This is a story about belief, faith, and trust. About God's grace and the small miracles that occur in everyday life. It is about forgiveness and familial bonds through the toughest times. The writing is exceptional. It brought a tear to my eye more than once, the second book by Krueger to make that happen. The characters were so real I felt like I knew them. The plot and pacing were well done, the setting distinct and believable. Even though I figured out who killed Ariel and why, which was the big mystery of the book, it didn't take away my enjoyment of the story. I was fully invested in Frank and Jake and their troubles.

This book was exceptional from top to bottom. Easily 5 stars.