Levi's Will

Levi's Will by W. Dale Cramer is an amazingly powerful book about the relationships between fathers and sons and Father and Son. Cramer's previous books (Sutter's Cross and Bad Ground) were so deeply moving, it always felt as though he were writing from his own history. According to the acknowledgements in this book, there is some truth to this story and it shows, or should I say, it shines. Will Mullet runs away from his Amish background and authoritarian father Levi into the World. He spends the rest of his life trying to gain his father's approval while denying that same approval to his own son Riley. This book is so elegantly written; it moves along quietly with no huge climactic scenes or melodrama. It's a simple story of quiet people living their lives the best way they know how. I've read some of Beverly Lewis' Amish books, and the characters seem to be idealized or romanticized. While Cramer's Amish didn't make me want to run out and buy a buggy, they were portrayed as real, true human beings with quirks and flaws. Their plain faith shines through the book like a beacon, not just to Will, but to the reader as well. Cramer's descriptions of Amish life and countryside are profound. The book doesn't end, it simply slips away, leaving the reader, Will, and Riley with hope.

While much of Christian fiction tends to be overly optimistic, unrealistically wholesome, and often just plain sappy, Cramer injects much more realism and intellect into his prose, a writing style that is much more comparable to good mainstream fiction authors. I thoroughly enjoyed "Levi's Will." Spanning over 40 years, this book tells the story of Will, a teenage boy who runs away from his Amish home and leaves behind a pregnant Amish girl. He subsequently enters WWII as a soldier, marries a strong-willed young woman from Georgia, and has a family of his own, but over the years his soul longs for his father's forgiveness and acceptance. He also wonders about the fate of the Amish girl and unborn child that he left behind--details that he kept hidden from his wife. However, Will's father, Levi, is a hard man dedicated to the strict Old Order Amish who refuses to forgive his "wayward" son. It's a beautiful story of bitterness and forgiveness, and one I highly recommend. While this story has its melancholy moments, Cramer includes enough hope to encourage the reader. One thing especially profound about this novel is its treatment of time. For over 30 years, Will seeks his father's forgiveness. That requires substantial patience and wisdom, something we all need more of. Will is a flawed character, which I like because he's very human, but Cramer shows that God doesn't always tie a neat bow on our lives and answer our prayers like we think He should. Sometimes things go wrong. Sometimes bad things happen to good people. Sometimes we just don't understand life. Cramer's writing is extremely honest--something I'm very glad to see in the Christian fiction market. I'm eager to see what Cramer writes next.

Focusing on the stone-chiseled men of a previous generation, Cramer somehow pens novels of beauty and grace. He introduces us to sympathetic characters, then leads us through their dark valleys to reach the glow of redemption. With his last novel, "Bad Ground," he gained respect and high praise from such notable publications as Publishers Weekly--and rightly so. I counted it as one of my favorite novels of the year. "Levi's Will" is equally engaging. I was caught up in the story of young Will Mullet, an Amish kid, who runs away from home to avoid the wrath of his father. This decision leads him on a path of deception which will cause a decades-long divide between Will and his Amish kin. Along the way, he sees the evil of WWII and discovers love. His lies catch up with him, though, resulting in a masterful--and humorous--scene between Will and his wife, a southern woman with a backbone to match his own. The last half of the book feels somewhat inevitable, yet Cramer draws us deeper into the nuances of his characters and the Amish lifestyle, and to his credit he still manages to generate emotional response. Lessons of love and forgiveness are learned, bridging the hurt of three generations; the hearts of fathers and sons are moved toward eachother; and the hypocrisy of religion is revealed, while the possibility of knowing a personal God is presented as an honor. Once again, Cramer shows us how the lessons of the past still apply today. His ability to do so through works of fiction is nothing short of miraculous.

Follow Dale Cramer's literary progress and you'll witness the evolution of a writer. Those with literary aspirations are well advised to begin anywhere-you can't go wrong with his novels, no matter how hard you try-and savor the tangible journey of a born storyteller. Rivetingly good when he started-even his first novel received remarkable critical praise-he just gets better with time. Learn from him if you can, but be warned: You'll be hard-pressed to analyze technique that all but vanishes in the presence of pure, can't-put-it-down-even-at-3-a.m. tale-telling. Cramer is a rare find among contemporary authors-a writer of depth and excellence who has something worthwhile to say. His books have dimension because he approaches them from a myriad of angles, burrowing under the skin of an impressive roster of original characters, polishing off with exquisite craft stories that burbled to the surface from deep inside. Steinbeck's honest appreciation of the common man, Wendell Berry's poetic vision of the binding relationship between man and the earth, Hugo's understanding of the heart-rending war between justice and mercy, and Tolstoy's timeless rendition of the human condition all find their way into his work. Superb craftsmanship, simple but eloquent language, and an extraordinary sense of timing make his fairly complex novels easy to fall into and impossible to leave behind. You will always take some of a Dale Cramer novel away with you. Levi's Will is no exception. It's a quiet but irresistibly compelling story rich with the complex layers and well-developed characters Cramer is known for. He combines the intimate history of a family with the sweep of social and political history in the 20th century and never seems to break a sweat. Yet you'll read it over and over, each time discovering some new connection, some intricate detail, some new layer you hadn't seen before, and you'll wonder, how did he do that? Then you'll go back and read it again. Ultimately, what makes Cramer's work more magnetic than many mainstream literary novels is simple, but it's everything: Heart. His books pulse with it; his stories reverberate with it. His characters live. In the 21st century, a living, breathing author brimming with talent and integrity puts his heart on the page and we remember what novels were meant to be.

Dale Cramer writes in such a way that you feel like you're right there with the characters. Levi's Will is an excellent novel. The ways of the Amish versus the "English" makes it an interesting read. Thank you, Dale! You've written another winner!