Out to Canaan (by Jan Karon)

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I’m so enjoying re-reading the ‘Mitford’ series by Jan Karon. Father Tim is a delightful creation; he’s a sixty-something balding priest in an Episcopalian church in the USA. The novels are all told from his point of view, set in the fictional small town of Mitford.

In the first couple of books Father Tim fell in love with his neighbour Cynthia, as well as adopting a teenage boy and a large dog. He interacted with the folk in his town, put up with a difficult (but quite efficient) secretary, and fended off the advances of a rather scary widow. He prayed with the sick, ate meals with many of the folk, and generally showed himself to be a much-loved, tender-hearted and genuine man of God.

Not that Tim is perfect: he’s quite a workaholic, and he has to watch his diet as he was diagnosed with diabetes early in the series.

‘Out of Canaan’, which I last read in 2006, is the fifth book in the series, and is best read after the others as there’s quite a cast of characters. I have to admit I find some of the townsfolk rather too similar: Tim, who has been married to Cynthia for two years now, regularly meets several local guys for breakfast at the local grill. However, I never can remember who is whom. Not that it matters - the exchanges are realistic, and they show Tim able to relate to all kinds of different people, meeting each one at his or her own level.

However there is an underlying thread running through this novel, involving a somewhat slimy local man who is up for election as Mayor of Mitford. It’s a role that has been taken by Esther Cunningham for sixteen years, and many people want her to continue. She’s a big-hearted woman who has a hand in many projects, and fulfils her motto: ‘Mitford takes care of its own’. There are quite a few scenes in this book involving clashes, political campaigns and rather dubious funding, in amongst the other more domestic scenes.

It’s not the most exciting book; a great deal of it is simply conversation between the various people in the book, and church events. However it also involves a hunt for Dooley’s little sister Jessie, the attempt to sell the late Miss Sadie’s huge mansion Fernbank, and a new children’s book being written by Cynthia.

There’s a Christian theme running throughout, which isn’t surprising given Father Tim’s profession. But this isn’t an over-preachy book. There are Scripture verses quoted, and prayers said, but all in the context of the story and without feeling intrusive or uncomfortable.

The only chapter I found dull was one about a baseball game, which didn’t seem to add anything to any of the storylines, and which was so full of jargon that I skimmed - and didn’t seem to have missed anything, story-wise.

I love my forays into Mitford and am already looking forward to re-reading the next one in the series, in about a month’s time.

Review copyright 2021 Sue's Book Reviews