I thoroughly enjoyed re-reading Jan Karon’s nine ‘Mitford’ books last year, culminating in ‘Light from Heaven’. I liked them even more knowing that there are another five books following Father Tim’s continued journey, one of which I haven’t yet read at all. But I’m reading in order, and have just finished ‘Home to Holly Springs’, which I previously read in 2009.
This is mostly Father Tim travelling solo - other than his enormous dog Barnabas - as his wife Cynthia has a leg injury. He drives from North Carolina to Mississippi - quite a journey - to visit his home town of Holly Springs. He hasn’t been there for thirty-eight years, and has been resisting the idea of digging up memories, some of which are quite painful.
But Tim has been sent a mysterious note, written in an unknown hand, and it’s prompted him to make a five-day visit. He believes it’s the right thing to do, and that God will lead him to the people he’s supposed to see. But he doesn’t really know where to start, as he’s no longer in touch with anyone. He doesn’t even know if any of his old friends are still alive.
He’d particularly like to find his old buddy Willie, who looked after him as a child, and to find out what happened to his closest friend Tommy. There are a few other people he hopes that he might find. Cynthia thinks it’s one of his old girlfriends trying to entice him, but she’s not overly worried.
The writing is excellent, I thought. When I read this the first time, I thought it a bit slow to get going. But this time I found it drew me right in. The present day - with Father Tim exploring his old haunts, visiting some of the shops he remembers, and finding graves - alternates with scenes from his past. We learn so much about him: his loving mother, his harsh father; his mother’s caring,gentle parents and his father’s bullying, angry father. We learn about Peggy, too, the black maid who was his nanny and who suddenly vanished when he was eleven: nobody knew where she had gone.
There are many hints - and some overt passages - demonstrating that while Tim was a lovable, sensitive child, he wasn’t always well-behaved. He learned to tell lies at quite a young age, and there are episodes in his teens that don’t reflect at all well on him. We also learn a bit about his spiritual and emotional side - his conscience, which was strong even as a small boy; his longing to bring peace in his troubled home; his regret and guilt about not loving his father sufficiently.
It’s a moving story - I did find the number of characters a tad overwhelming, as Tim meets one after another and tries to find out more. I couldn’t remember all their names, but it didn’t much matter. The important ones stood out, and I loved the way that, as he learns more - including some quite difficult things - he is gradually able to relinquish some of the pain he has been holding onto for more than fifty years.
I’d forgotten almost everything about this book, other than that Tim goes on a journey, and the totally unexpected discovery in the last chapters. It was so surprising he first time that it stuck in my mind, but that didn’t matter at all: I had forgotten all the details, and the poignant reason for his being summoned.
As with the Mitford books, God plays a significant role in the story, but not in a pushy or preachy way. Tim. as a retired Anglican minister, talks naturally about his relationship with God and prays for some of the people he meets. Others discuss their own spiritual lives, and open up because of his clerical collar, and because of his gentleness and willingness to listen without judging.
‘Home to Holly Springs’ stands alone in a sense; necessary background information is given subtly to people Tim meets on his return. But this is much better read after the earlier books even though most of the Mitford people don’t actually come into it. I’ve learned to care about Father Tim and his family, so delving into his past was intriguing and often moving.
Definitely recommended if you enjoy this kind of gentle Christian fiction, with the warning that there are some minor swear words and repeated use of a very unpleasant racist epithet - probably realistically, given the era of Tim's memories, and with an explanation from his mother about why it's so negative.
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