North of Hope

If you enjoy books with strongly-developed characters, then "North of Hope" is for you. It begins with Frank Healy, a young man with an aspiration to the priesthood and living in Minnesota. He falls in love with Libby Girard, a beautiful local girl. Unfortunately, Libby marries a local bully, Vernon, the guy who got her pregnant. Frank, upon learning that his mother's dying words were "I want Frank to be a priest," decides to enter the seminary. A couple of years into his formation, Libby visits Frank and wants him to leave the seminary and marry her. Frank refuses, and as Libby sadly drives away, Frank pleads to God to keep her out of his life. Twenty years later, when the school Frank had been teaching at since his ordination closes down, Frank experiences a vocational crisis. He requests a transfer to his hometown parish, which is granted. With a twist of divine fate, Frank encounters Libby once again in the local Objiway Reservation's medical facility. The remainder of the book consists of Frank struggling to find a relationship with Libby that is loving yet not romantic, and helping Libby's troubled daughter Verna. Along the way we encounter characters such as Libby's drug-dealing husband, the sleazy Judge Bigelow, and the overprotective Eunice Pfeiffer. North of Hope is one of those rare novels that stays with you long after you've finished it. The final resolution is effective, though probably not what many readers will want. Hassler could have used the book to uncritically praise or rant against priestly celibacy, but he doesn't; he trusts the readers to make their own decisions. Highly recommended.

This is a wonderful book. The writing is beautiful, the characters are memorable, the themes are universal. I discovered Hassler while browsing ... about a year ago, and I'm glad I did! I loved his recent novels set in academia ("Rookery Blues" and "The Dean's List"). His earlier "North of Hope" is more serious and melancholy than those, but in many ways better. As one of the reviewers quoted on the cover says, his writing appears effortless. I will never tire of reading this author's work.

I read this book several years ago when it was first published and have not been able to get it out of my mind. It is one of the most heartbreakingly beautiful books I have ever read; one comes away with the sad realization that the characters are, indeed, north of hope. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading of the human condition; the book is quite melancholy, but not depressing. Mr. Hassler has a rare gift.

I've read all of Hassler's novels, and I consider this his best. He captures the search for one's soul as well as any author I've read. Frank Healey's character is a great example of delving into one's innermost soul-searching; and his conclusion (realistically) is ambiguous. It leaves the reader pondering this for weeks after putting the book down. A lover of great fiction should not miss this one.

This is my favorite of the four Jon Hassler novels I have read so far. As is usual with Mr. Hassler's novels, the characters are well-drawn, believable, and you get involved with them. The dialogue is realistic and the setting is well-developed. And the book was really hard to put down as I kept wanting to know what would happen next. But the thing that impressed me most was the way at author deals with the problems faced by the characters. There is no sugar-coating here, just lots of reality. I wouldn't say that the book is depressing. There is optimism throughout. I can also recommend other books by Mr. Hassler: The Love Hunter, Simon's Night, and Grand Opening, in that order.