Day 30 - June 14, 2010 - A Happy, Yet Odd Ending

“To be forever reaching out, to remain unsatisfied, is the key to spiritual progress”

Saint Maybe is an interesting book. It isn't one I probably would have picked up on my own. My dad recommended it to me, telling me that it is one of his favorite novels. I was excited to peruse the pages and discuss the plot line with him. I quite enjoyed the characters and the plot from the get-go, but as the book pressed on towards its resolve, I found myself somewhat depressed for the central characters: Ian, Agatha, Thomas, and Daphne. I couldn't really place my finger on why initially. When I had finished, I closed the book and felt as though it were slightly unsatisfactory. The book was actually really good, and I would recommend it to others... I just couldn't explain the feeling it left me with.

As I reflect upon the movement of the plot, I think what left me feeling the way I did was the mundane nature of the book. I continually wanted Ian to excel and receive what one would consider the simple pleasures of life. He didn't entirely do so. He poured so much effort into the other three characters, yet it seemed that they continually took him for granted. You want them to be transformed by their experiences as well, but they seem to remain unchanged. Perhaps they would have fallen into ruin and wouldn't have been able to live their mundane lives without Ian. Maybe that is the central message of the book.

Ultimately, I feel the novel has taught me to appreciate the mundane. I like a good adventure as much as the next person, but the normal, every day experiences of life are perhaps the ones we should be paying attention to. Even though every day life doesn't always satisfy our hunger for excitement and success, we deal with it on a regular basis. It shouldn't be taken for granted. The fact that we can wake up, have a fairly pleasant day, see the people we love, and have a comfortable place to sleep at night... well, that's not such a bad thing, really. No fireworks or fanfares required. Just life.