Parish Book Club – Thursday, August 13 at 1p.m.

The meeting will take place in the education wing at the St. Paul campus.

The book selection is “Ordinary Grace” by William Kent Krueger. A literary mystery and coming-of-age novel set in 1961 New Bremen, Minnesota. It follows 13-year-old Frank Drum as he navigates a summer defined by five tragic deaths, forcing him to confront loss, secrets, faith, and the “awful grace of God” that brings wisdom through suffering.

Key Plot Points and Themes:

• The Summer of Tragedy: The story starts with the death of a young boy on railroad tracks, setting a somber tone for a summer filled with accidental, natural, and murderous deaths.
• The Drum Family: Frank’s father is a principled Methodist minister struggling with his own faith, his mother is an artistic woman stifled by town life, and his sister, Ariel, is a gifted musician with a tragic fate.
• The Mystery: The plot focuses on finding who murdered Frank’s sister, Ariel, with suspicion falling on several characters before a shocking revelation about the killer’s identity is made.
• Key Themes: The book explores the loss of innocence, the nature of grief, racial prejudice against Native Americans, and finding “ordinary grace” (everyday mercy and love) in the midst of overwhelming tragedy.

Told from the perspective of an adult Frank reflecting 40 years later, the novel is a deeply emotional, character-driven story about resilience and understanding that even in the darkest times, there is grace.

To obtain the book, here is the the link to Welles-Turner Memorial Library, Barnes & Noble and Amazon. If you need assistance or have questions, please contact Barbara Tyczkowski by clicking here.

PLEASE NOTE: Even if you have attended a book club meeting in the past, please sign up for this event using the form below so that we can plan for the correct number of attendees. If you are new to the group, you will receive further information.