Bravely Obey

Ok, so I finally finished Handling Sin a couple of days ago. That book took me two solid weeks, it was long but not that long! With all the job hunting and jewelry show stuff I just haven't read as much the last couple of weeks. I really liked this book. I found it a bit hard to get into, I think because of the variety of characters, constant action and chaos, and Southern banter, it just took a bit to slide into the flow of the story. I laughed out loud during some of the ridiculous escapades, teared up during the tender moments, and generally just had a good time, would have been a great beach read. It reminded me of A Confederacy of Dunces. Both are absurd, over the top, quirkly, loveable and endearing. Raleigh is the main character and with the help of his father, a former pastor and musician with a serious heart condition, Raleigh learns to let loose, meets a wild cast of characters, finally creates a friendship with his half brother, realizes how much he loves his family, follows a treasure map in search of non-existant Confederate gold, and learns some deep dark family secrets. This is the kind of book that hides its depth and the talent of the writer under the fun and chaos. Its such a smooth easy read that you don't even realize how difficult it is to create this type of book. Raleigh has such a profound experience and it creates such change in his life without beating you over the head with its message. I could read this book 5 more times and still find new things in it. Quite great!