LitPick Review
F. Kennerly Clay's East of Nowhere captures the soul of the sixties with vivid and raw narrative. It's the story of her life, and what she knew and learned about her father's life. The book is not hagiography (where only the goodness of her father is told). The author clearly loves her father--deeply so--but she is realistic about him and her relationship with him. The author's father is perhaps typical of a free-spirited man from the sixties. His portrait, as she writes it and his poems convey it, is of a person who sees life differently than most. He perceives the layers of life and refuses to be ruled by any of it. He is his own man. But he is also capable of deep love and shows it often, even through his fatal flaws and alcoholism. Kennerly is at least equally perceptive about her own life, but the struggles of her life shaped her into a strong person. She has compassion, patience, honesty, and most importantly, forgiveness. She relays a conversation on page 163 where she tells her father just that: "I just wanted you to know I forgive you." Forgiveness, and the power of it, sets this book and this story apart.
Opinion:
F. Kennerly Clay's book, East of Nowhere, conveys rich history from a time period that probably most people think they know. I certainly think I know a lot about the sixties, but after reading this book, I now know for sure that I don't know as much as I thought I did. It was a complex time. Lots of things changed. People changed. People and families were divided along philosophical lines. There was a lot of struggle and pain, and none of it was simple. This is a great story! She grew up in that very complex time, and without a father in her life for most of it! I would think that most people in her situation would be angry. I'm sure she was from time to time. But what comes out in the writing is compassion and forgiveness. Forgiveness is powerful. It's not natural to human beings. It belongs to grace and spirit and its strength has a different source than human beings. The way she handles all those disappointments, and her own struggles, shows that kind of grace and spirit. I appreciated her honesty throughout the book. After the first few chapters, I was thinking this was going to be hagiography, but Kennerly shares the depravity too. Her father was far from perfect, but not a bad person. I also appreciated how honest she was about herself and her own struggles. It's an encouragement to others who have to face the same struggles in life. There is hope. Forgiveness of others in the past is a key component for everyone in moving on and moving forward in life.
