The Short Day Dying

Set in 1875, The Short Day Dying is reminiscent of a mellifluous tone poem, a spiritual ode to one man's hard driven life has he struggles to come to terms with his faith and the glorious natural beauty of the world around him. Narrated in the first person, author Peter Hobbs stunningly emerges us into the world of Charles Wenmoth, a poor and solitary Methodist lay-priest who spends his days preaching to townsfolk and attending to the sick, whilst working as a blacksmith at the local forge. Life for Charles is tough; he's a lonely and somewhat tortured soul, who throughout the course of the novel is forced to question his faith. A simple man "unfit for beauty and grace," he admits he has an untutored mind and often he struggles in his sermons to get to the truth of things. It is only when he is wondering through the bucolic beauty of the Cornwall countryside that he manages to feel rejuvenated and at peace. When Charles visits Harriet French, a young local woman who is dying, her deep illness acts as a catalyst and he begins to question much of what he sees around him. There's much anger here - anger at his people who have turned away from faith and who now have so little love for "the Lord," abandoning their search for the "pearl of great price," determined to satisfy themselves with worldly ambitions. There's also anger at the men who once came and opened up the land with mines and quarries, extracting its wealth. For this is an area of England where villages that were once prosperous with farming have now decayed, becoming cracked and grimy; the mining does not seem to have bought riches to these communities. Over the years, families that Charles has loved, preached to and cared for, have fallen on hard times. The mortal sins of drink have also struck the land, causing a terrible curse, with people destroying themselves, and there are those who have invited it to the family's table as though it were food to live from. A reunion with James, a childhood friend, causes Charles to reflect and remember, but his memories cannot bring back happiness and every delight he has in them seems but a form of sadness and loss. It's "where the past is a small domain, it's boundaries are thin and close." Throughout the course of the novel, Charles's faith is constantly tested. He's beleaguered by regret and melancholy, and often feels quite downcast - there's "a darkness to his soul and he wonders what spirit or sadness possesses him" - and he even becomes conscious that God himself and the holy savior are perhaps testing him. It is only through his relationship with the land that he realizes "heaven resides at our feet as well as over our heads." The text ignites as the author contrasts the struggles of Charles as seeks to offer the ailing Harriet spiritual solace, whilst enduring the aloofness of her younger brother and her lonely mother. He also must contend with the constant antipathy of his landlady who seems to resent his obvious poverty. Only

A dense, well-crafted novel, The Short Day Dying is narrated by a young preacher, Charles Wenmoth, who slogs through the mire of both uncertainty in his commitment to his faith, and his nostalgia for childhood. Set in 1870, the book has an integrity of pacing and voice that is like being lifted unawares by a cherry picker, startling at first, but then soothing with an enjoyable view. Though Wenmoth is a preacher, the reader never feels preached at and instead becomes immersed in the problems of spreading belief in times and towns full of poverty and disease. To read more reviews check out Void Magazine's website.

I picked this book up at the library eventhough it isn't the type of book I normally read. It was a slow read for me. The main character (dont' think I learn his Christian name until midway through the book) speaks through the pages as I would imagine someone from that era to speak. He's a simple man who lives to please God. His life is rough and burdensome. There's never enough of money to do the things he wants and needs to do yet he still finds time to give to those in need. He's giving of his time especially to a young blind lady on the threshold of death. His landlady will make you despise her. She's a cruel being. This book has a very morbid, depressed "theme" BUT there are so many passages that I re-read and actually THOUGHT about because it resonated so with my own life. That desire we all have to return to childhood and simpler times. That urge to be with old friends of our youth and fight against adult hood and it's seriousness. There is much talk of death which causes even more reflection. I kept wondering how could someone who doesn't even know I exist possibly know that's is EXACTLY how I feel? This book is definitely worth a read.

Not often does one come across a novel that is original both in content and style. Peter Hobbs' debut novel is one of those rare cases. Hobbs manages to draw the reader into the world of the narrator, Charles Wenmoth, within a couple of pages, and remains faithful to his approach thereafter: Using simple prose interspersed with powerful images and similes, and a rhythm dictated by Wenmoth's thoughts and state of mind. The reader begins to see the world through Wenmoth's eyes and is utterly gripped by his determination and shocked by his occasional lack of sensitivity, especially in matters of the heart. Where lesser novels or TV soap operas need explicit action scences or a soppy soundtrack, Hobbs manages to create extreme suspense and atmosphere by slowing down the narrative pace, sometimes almost to a standstill - only to speed it up again by throwing in a one-page chapter or a summarizing paragraph here and there. And always sticking to Arthur Schopenhauer's advice: Use ordinary words to say extraordinary things. Or, sometimes more appropriately in Hobbs' case: Use ordinary words to say ordinary things in an extraordinary way. A thoroughly enjoyable and thought-provoking book.

I would recommend The Short Day Dying to anybody who thinks that good literature is dead. It is, by no means, a gangbuster keep-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat John Grisham thriller. Nor is it a fluffy ersatz literary attempt like so many books today. The main character of this novel is a perpetual contemplate. He is a kind of circuit pastor who is constantly in thought about theological issues. He has a one-track mind that is completely focused on God, until one day, it's not. What I loved most about this book is that there is no incredible heart-pumping climax--no one is running from the law, no one gets shot, and nothing blows up. The story is simply a level piece that whose crisis is seemingly minor, and whose climax is wholly conveyed through the thoughtful, philosophical, and searching mind of the protagonist. The protagonist, in his journaling, will often reference a Bible verse, and then, he will expound and expound as though he were giving a sermon. But his thoughts aren't preachy, rather, they are simply the internal workings of a man whose focus is on nothing but how God is working in him, through him, and around him. Hobbs' writing is so compelling that you will suddenly you find yourself empathizing with his protagonist. The struggle through which the protagonist goes is so innately human that you will quickly see the world through his eyes. You too will find yourself on a journey with this pastor, and amidst his crisis of faith you may find yourself amidst your own. And so, if you begin this book, make sure to read it through. Allow Hobbs' beautiful prose to bring you full-circle, so that both his protagonist's and your soul may find themselves at ease.