A Song I Knew by Heart

I love this book. The retelling of Ruth and Naomi is so subtle, yet profound. Seeing the timeless story play out in modern day language was inspiring. It made me think of my own relationships with the women in my family and how death of a spouse redirects lives.

For those who love beautiful writing and a quiet read, Bret Lott's A SONG I KNEW BY HEART, a tender contemporary retelling of the biblical Ruth and Naomi story, is a competent exploration of grief and healing. Lott's narrative opens as Ruth loses her husband in a terrible accident. Her mother-in-law, Naomi, a widow whose husband died eight years before, is plunged into renewed grief (the song she knows by heart). Throughout the book, Lott uses the image of light and darkness to illustrate deeper meanings. As the two inconsolable widows wait for morning together, "Shadows outside eased and shifted, made way for new shadows, all of this movement only the empty fruit of that faithless sun." Later, as Ruth and Naomi try to do ordinary things, such as see a movie, they find it devastating, "like sitting in the dark and watching a life played out just beyond your reach, that life your own." Seeking healing from her pain, Naomi declares her intention to go back home to South Carolina, "called by the force of whatever mystery the place I'd once called home and would call home again held out to me." As readers of scripture will quickly guess, Ruth vows to go with her. After a yard sale where the women divest themselves of almost everything, they journey back to Naomi's childhood region. Other themes unfold. Naomi grieves over a secret from her past for which she is unable to forgive someone --- and herself. She finds the area she was nostalgic for from her childhood is not as she recalled it. Now, there are satellite dishes, video stores, tattoo parlors, sushi bars, Taco Bells. "Time moved, whether you liked it or not." Naomi also realizes she is not the same person she once was in this place. She has run, but "I hadn't run from me. I'd only run from our home, and from the death of our son, and from God for having taken from me the last evidence of the love Eli and I shared," reflects Naomi. Things have changed. Yet, "It's still beautiful here," Ruth tells her. "The light is just like you said it would be." It is the light --- and descriptions of the light --- that serve as a reminder by Lott that God can pierce the darkness of grief by his love and grace. "Still He was with me," says Naomi. Readers will enjoy how Lott adapts the Old Testament story to a contemporary setting. Ruth gets a job as a checker at the Piggly Wiggly grocery store, then finds a better one as a shift supervisor at a Harris Teeter. Naomi finds some peace in returning to her family, full of interesting characters, and Ruth finds a welcome as well. A quilt serves as a symbol of the relationships left behind, and the possibilities for mending their lives. When Ruth falls in love with a fireman, the quilt becomes the proverbial blessing/covering passed on by Naomi for their new relationship. Although readers have criticized Lott for choosing style over plot substance in A SONG I KNEW BY HEART, the joy of this book is exactly that --- in how Lott can take a familiar subject (both t

After Naomi's son is killed in a New England winter car crash, her daughter-in-law is cast into the pit of grief, just as Naomi had been 8 years before when her Eli had died. This is a song she knows by heart. When Naomi decides to move back to South Carolina, the land of her childhood, Ruth utters the Biblical words: "Where you go, I will go. Where you live, that's where I'll live too." & the two women say their goodbyes to their marriages & head south. Written in 70-year-old Naomi's voice, Bret Lott takes us into the grey, cold world of grief where numbness & despair dwell. Then, in the plans, actions & journey hope blossoms, as the Southern sun melts their frozen hearts & souls. Rebeccasreads highly recommends A SONG I KNEW BY HEART as a rich, dreamy & memorable read, superbly written.

Imagine this: you are an aging woman whose beloved husband died eight years ago from a heart attack. Your only child--a son--has just been killed in an automobile accident. How MUCH can your heart endure? This novel is a tale of love. Naomi, the widow and mother, is faced with the crushing burden of grief, and the emptiness in her heart because of it. In steps her widowed daughter-in-law Ruth, who gives Naomi the comfort, devotion and love that will set her on a course to a renewed life. This book is about being open to the reception of the gift of love from others, and about then giving the gift of love back, in return. Kind, supportive, forgiving, merciful love is given to Naomi by family and friends. They are able to extend this love because of the ultimate gift of love from God. When Naomi acknowledges God's blessing on her through the blessings of those around her, and then she returns that blessed love, her heart is joyful and full once again. She sees that in order to know love, she can't merely accept it...she has to give it away. If you are familiar with the Book of Ruth in the Bible, you will recognize the basis for Mr. Lott's story. I urge you to read Ruth in the Bible. Read it again if you already know the story. Read it either before or after you read this heart-wrenching, soul-satisfying blessing of a book.

I was surprised when I started reading A Song I Knew by Heart to find it a retelling of the Naomi and Ruth story from the Bible (see the Book of Ruth). Some names are the same - Naomi and Ruth - and some are different - Beau instead of Boaz, but in essence it is a modern telling of an ancient story. The story challenged me to think as Ruth and Naomi . . . what would I do if I was widowed? I enjoyed Bret Lott's writing style and encourage anyone who wants a good romance without sappy endings to pick up a copy.