Returning to Earth

An unadulterated view on death and acceptance. A raw view of life, in only a way that Harrison can present. There is nothing here to bring any type of excitement or suspense, but simply a beautiful perspective on the intricacies of life, death & spirituality.

In a recent radio interview, Jim Harrison laughed when asked about the demographics of his readers. For 40 years, he says, his publishers have been trying to figure that out. His characters typically inhabit less populated, unglamorous locales like the West and Midwest, and whatever wisdom they attain is often gleaned from the natural world. Donald, the central character of RETURNING TO EARTH, is in some ways the Harrison Ur-hero, facing his impending death from Lou Gehrig's disease. "I'm forty-five and it seems I'm to leave the earth early but these things happen to people." The first of the novel's four parts is in his voice, dictated to his wife Cynthia, recounting what he knows of his family history in order to preserve it for his grown children, Herald and Clare. We find that he is the first male in four generations not to be named Clarence, and that he is probably over half-Chippewa. "For all practical purposes my dad and I weren't the least bit Indian but were just among the ordinary tens of thousands of mixed bloods in the Upper Peninsula." Donald lost his mother to schizophrenia at a young age, but succeeded as an athlete due to his size. Working alongside his father, in the employ of a wealthy and decadent white family, he fell in love with Cynthia, the daughter, and they ran away and married as teens. Donald intersperses his family history with matter-of-fact comments on his disease and cryptic references to his personal religion, which is rooted in the more traditional Chippewa ways of his Aunt Flower, who lives in the woods and renders lard for her mince pie crusts from pigs she raises and slaughters herself. This digressive tale could be chaotic, but rather it pulls us into the story, gradually introducing the characters who will have to figure out how to carry on without Donald. The remaining three parts of the novel feature the first person narratives of "K," Donald's friend and nephew; David, Cynthia's brother; and Cynthia herself, all of whom are vastly affected by losing Donald. K is the son of Polly, David's ex-wife, a smart young man who has been away at school but is not sorry to return to Marquette to help with Donald. He is not sorry for many reasons --- he loves and truly admires Donald, he loves and kind of lusts after Cynthia despite their age difference, and he loves and beds their daughter Clare when she finally arrives back on the scene from California. (In case you're paying close attention, K and Clare are not blood cousins, since K is Polly's son from a subsequent marriage.) K's account covers Donald's death and burial in Canada, where the family can arrange these matters as they wish. David's part picks up after Donald is gone and as he grieves in his own dithering way. David and Cynthia's parents were both rich drunks, their father particularly perverse and at times abusive. As Cynthia says, David is "very nice but has been basically goofy since he was a little boy. He couldn't accept the fact that Da

Of all of Jim Harrison's works, this one will bless you spiritually in greater measure if you have read some of his earlier works first. Don't read this for entertainment. Read it for a glimpse of appreciating death and those who deal with your departure, whenever that may come. The intimate understanding of a white man who knows of the American Indian experience, the author I refer to, can only write such a story. Somehow, Jim Harrison has been there. To catch a glimpse of the author's mind, the reader must read his prior works. Only then can one appreciate this work. The bear is an animal of great medicine. Wait to read this until you are ready. "One is not ready to die until one is ready to live; and, until one is ready to live, only then are they ready to die."

Lou Gehrig's disease is such a horrible way to die. While reading this book I kept in mind watching a friend of mine (also 45 years old) find that he had the disease and watching as one muscle after another failed to function. But for more about the disease, read 'Tuesdays With Morrie.' This instead is a story of Donald, a man slowly dying and realizing that his family history will die with hime. So he begins dictating stories that he has never shared with anyone else. While this is going on, the family around him has to learn to cope with the realization that he is dying and doing so with dignity. After Donald's death, his family struggle through their grief at his passing. In the end, they have to go on, as we all do. But the telling of their stories is masterfully done. It's a story of trying to make sense out of life, while understanding that we honor our dead but move on to the future. It is a tale masterfully told.

"Returning to Earth" has several meanings for its title. Simply put, it is the burial of the first narrator, his family returning from their journey of grieving or a combination of both meanings. The first half of the book asks how do you die a "good" death while the conclusion asks how do you live your life after the "good" life. The family members narrate their portion of their sadness, struggling not to succumb to the overwhelming grieve. The writing is lyrical and haunting in the manner of a storyteller. Mr. Harrison is the author of 8 novels, 5 novellas ("Legends of the Fall" is the best known) & 8 collections of poetry and this is his best tale yet.