Gilead

Published in 2004, Gilead is Marilynne Robinson’s second novel and the first in the Gilead trilogy, which includes Home (2008) and Lila (2014). The story is written as a letter from dying Congregationalist minister John Ames to his young son. The letter is a bittersweet account of John’s life. With a slow, thoughtful pace and intimate tone, John shares past family memories and resolves an old personal grievance with his best friend’s son. As John explores the bonds and breakdowns in relationships between fathers and sons, he moves back and forth between his memories and the present. John’s heartfelt, joyous love of life and his profound religious faith suffuse the narrative. Gilead won the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the 2004 National Book Critics Circle Award.

Plot Summary

The novel takes place in Gilead, Iowa, in 1956, where Reverend John Ames has lived for 74 of his 76 years. Gilead is a small town that has endured hardships and tragedies, and looks like it has seen better days, but John loves it. He still preaches at the same church and has over 50 years’ worth of his written sermons saved in boxes.