Book #26: Here If You Need Me

The book: Here If You Need Me by Kate Braestrup

What is this book about: After Kate Braestrup's husband was killed, she became a chaplain to Maine game wardens. This new job finds her on the front lines of search-and-rescue missions.

Why did I read this book: It got a good review in Entertainment Weekly, and then Entertainment Weekly had a longer interview with her where she seemed funny and kind and worth reading.

What did I think of this book: It's a lot of beautiful and touching scenes strung together, but there were a lot of times that I questioned how it hung together...sort of, why are you telling me this? Some things are painstakingly spelled out, and others are vague, and I found myself wanting more, but not even knowing what I wanted, because I didn't know where it was going.

Ultimately, I've decided, it's a meditation on death, by someone who seems as lively as they come, but who has been intimate with death for years. Her husband died, and then her career involves seeing the horrible ways in which others can die, and having to tell their loved ones about it. But in death can come blessings (Kate points out herself that she wouldn't have become a chaplain if her husband hadn't died). This will probably be one of the most quoted lines of the book; it's from a section where her child is asking why her dad died:

"God is justice and kindness, mercy, and always--always--love. So if you want to know where God is in this or in anything, look for love" (187).

And Braestrup's book is an account of horrific deaths tempered by love--the way the game wardens search relentlessly so they can bring the bodies home, the way neighbors will comfort you with casseroles. The people who are "here if you need me."

What was my favorite part of this book: Near the beginning, there's a chapter where Kate describes how she insisted on dressing her dead husband's body, and the love and the sadness that went into the act. Whoo boy. Don't read that part in public, or you'll have to sit in public crying, as I did (the same thing happened when I read Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants)

What did I learn from this book: I learned about this woman's life, and I guess I learned what a game warden does.

What grade do I give this book: B-