The Hour I First Believed

It’s funny the comforts people turn to in times of tragedy and despair.  Those of faith rely on prayer and religious text.  Some folks find escape through numbing agents… alcohol, pills, etc. Others take out their stress on treadmills, concrete paths and country roads. Mom (no shock) turns to her art and creating.

I get lost in books.

If I had my choice (as if I don’t) I’d rather rely on running… well… maybe running and praying… simultaneously.

A number of events have transpired over the course of this month (not just Dad’s recent car wreck) but several conversations that have occurred and things I’ve read… it’s all kinda lead me to a point where I’m tired of writing…. especially about diabetes, but also in general (though I do have a plethora of funny stories I could tell based on the nights I stayed with Dad last week).

I’ve always said… airports and hospitals… two of my favorite places to observe, speculate and analyze the human condition.

In between my “pretend sociological research” and “pretend nurse playing,” I buried myself deep between the pages (for your imagery… I read everything on my iPhone) of the book “The Hour I First Believed.”

Wally Lamb.

Somehow… he managed to throw me a life raft.

Again.

The book is not new- been out for several years actually. I’d picked it up several times… read through chapters… set it down… repeat the process when I’d be waiting for EH at ballet or between 3 am BG checks with Saul.

This time, though, given my circumstances, I was able to devour the book in its entirety from cover to cover without stopping.

It is a fantastic read and definitely falls into the category of (if you love East of Eden… then you’ll like- the measure by which I base all books ). 

If you enjoy stories about human suffering, nature vs. nurture, family, despair, violence, hope and the ultimate quest to understand good and evil… then you will enjoy.

If you’ve already read it- I’d be curious as to your reaction- especially if you’ve read his other novels.

If you’ve not heard of Wally Lamb I’d encourage you to “google him” and read the reviews of this book, along with his others.

All I will say is that I’ve added Pablo Picasso’s print “Minotauromachy” on to my Christmas Amazon Wish list.

Oh…. and I dug out the hand-written-somewhat scribbled- Thank You letter I wrote Mr. Wally Lamb fifteen years ago… in the hour after finishing his first novel… and first believing.