A New Song (by Jan Karon)

(Amazon UK link)

I am thoroughly enjoying re-reading Jan Karon’s ‘Mitford’ series about Father Tim, an Anglican priest in a small town in the United States. Mitford is fictional, but I gather it’s supposed to be in North Carolina on the East Coast. I last read ‘A New Song’ in 2006, and all I remembered about it was that it was set somewhere other than Mitford.

The book opens as Tim and his wife Cynthia are trying to organise their house and pack for their journey to Whitecap Island, where he’s about to take up an interim post (what we would call an ‘interregnum’ post in the UK). He’s convinced it’s the right thing to do, a few months after retiring from his work in Mitford, but he has mixed feelings about leaving his friends and former parishioners. And he really doesn’t like change.

The first few chapters sees him going around the town spending time with people he cares about, saying his goodbyes, and attending rather more parties than he would want to. And at last they set off, though not before he’s had an unexpected surprise, not an entirely welcome one, from his wife…

The journey goes well but their first impressions of the island are not good. The bridge is unavailable so they have to persuade the ferryman to take them over even though it’s the end of the day, and then when they arrive at what appears to be their new home, there’s nobody to welcome them, and the place is a dump…

Things can only get better, and over the next weeks Tim and Cynthia settle in, along with the dog Barnabas and the cat Violet. They get to know the local folk - I didn’t always remember who was whom, but it didn’t matter too much. There are stresses within the church, including the repercussions of a recent scandal involving two church members, and needy people, including some who have lost their faith, or who won’t set foot in a church.

Father Tim is a very likeable person, flawed and sometimes insecure, but willing to listen to inner promptings from God, and never pushy about his faith. He befriends people easily and is quickly made to feel welcome. He’s even persuaded to go fishing, although he’s prone to seasickness…

A huge tornado takes up a couple of chapters, and since I’d entirely forgotten about it, I could hardly put the book down as I read about Tim trying to make his way back to Whitecap after visiting somewhere else, and then discovering all kinds of problems… and with no idea where his wife might be. I knew it would all work out well, but it still made tense reading. And I’d quite forgotten what happened about the wedding which he was supposed to take in Mitford a couple of days after the tornado struck.

Despite the majority of the book not being set in Mitford, I liked it very much. These books don’t have a great deal of action, although this had a fair bit; they’re character-based primarily, and that’s what I like best about them. Each book stands alone, but they’re all the more enjoyable for reading in order, even if interspersed with other books. There are some poignant moments as well as the tension, and one or two places where I smiled at the turn of phrase, or the low-key humour. There’s a strong Christian element, of course; but it’s not pushy, and the Scripture verses and prayers are all in the context of a priest who naturally uses them when appropriate.

Recommended as part of the series, if you like gentle character-based Christian fiction set in the United States.

Review copyright 2021 Sue's Book Reviews