In the Company of Others (by Jan Karon)

(Amazon UK link)

I’m so glad I decided to reread Jan Karon’s delightful series of books about the fictional Anglican priest Father Tim, who lives in the (also fictional) town of Mitford, on the East coast of the United States. I loved rereading my way through the first nine books which were mostly set in Mitford, including his surprising romance in his early sixties, his adoption of a teenage boy, and his acceptance of retirement.

Most recently I read what is technically tenth in the series, although not about Mitford at all: ‘Home to Holly Springs’, which delves into Tim’s childhood, as he explores his roots, meets some long-lost friends, and makes some surprising discoveries. And in the past week I’ve read the eleventh book, ‘In the Company of Others’, which I first read back in 2011.

This book is set in Ireland, where Tim and his wife Cynthia have come for a holiday. They are due to meet with Tim’s cousin Walter and his wife for some hiking and exploration; but they are delayed, and a nasty shock leads to Cynthia spraining her ankle so badly that she has to rest for a while. She is okay with this at first, in a comfortable room, with congenial hosts and a gorgeous view, with lots of books to read. And Tim - as is his wont - gets involved in the lives of the family who live in the place where they’re staying, and their estranged relatives who are not far away.

There feels like a huge cast of characters; I slowly began to distinguish the folk at the hotel: Liam and his wife Anna, their musical daughter Bella, Anna’s elderly father William who used to be a prize-fighter, and Seamus, who works for them and is treated as part of the family. Anna and Liam seem to have a lot of secrets, and Bella is sullen, irritable and clearly not happy to be living there.

Up the hill lives Liam’s mother Evelyn who drinks too much and is very angry with God - she suffered a terrible trauma when she was younger, losing many family members, and she can’t forgive herself, or God, for having survived. Her older son Paddy lives there too but he doesn’t appear all that much; Liam doesn’t like him, and they seem to have little in common.

There’s also a doctor, various other people who work locally, a Catholic priest… it’s a testament to the writing and characterisation that I remember so many of the people after finishing the book, but I never did recall the ins and outs of an old journal that Tim and Cynthia read, in bits and pieces, charting the lives of the folk who previously lived there.

There are mentions of former Kavanaghs - it’s an Irish name, and Tim apparently has some ancestors, but he doesn’t do any research into that; he is far more caught up in the lives and needs of those he gets to know. As such the book somewhat stands alone (although there are phone calls with his son Dooley and emails with his former secretary Emma) and also, I realise, could be missed out entirely if re-reading the series.

So ‘In Company with Others’ doesn’t move the overall storyline forward; it gives Tim and Cynthia a break, and a rest, and is something they have been dreaming about for years. And it’s a pleasant novel, but not one I kept reading at every moment. At times I wanted to skim over the old journals - some of them were quite interesting but they also didn’t add much to the plot (such as it is), other than giving a clue, later in the novel, to a room that turns out to have an unexpected secret…

There’s a bit of a mystery, some drama, much poignancy and a fair bit of low-key preaching. Not that it’s in any way pushy; Tim answers questions as a priest would - or should - about people’s unhappiness, and loneliness, and God is treated as another character in the book - as he is in Tim and Cynthia’s lives. There are a few scathing references to ‘Protestants’ - but he’s called in when he’s the only person available to solve a spiritual issue, or to pray with someone.

The writing is excellent, the ending encouraging, the people believable. There's gentle low-key humour here and there as well as a lot that's deeper and more poignant. However if you don’t like overtly Christian storylines, or slow-moving, thoughtful character-based novels, then this probably wouldn’t be for you. Nor would I suggest this as an introduction to Jan Karon, even though the book could stand by itself.

On the other hand, I would definitely recommend this to anyone who has enjoyed the Mitford series and who likes reading about Father Tim. There’s a richness in reading the rest of the series that comes out in the characters of the main people, particularly Tim and Cynthia. I’m sure I liked this one more for having followed their lives over the previous eight years or so since they first met.

Review copyright 2022 Sue's Book Reviews