What happens along the way

I read a novel this weekend that has made me rethink the role of strangers in our lives. The name of the book is Flies on the Butter by Denise Hildreth. The theme of the book is how hard it is to go home after you’ve grown up and left it in the dust, as Rose, the main character has done. As a child in a small town in South Carolina, “Rosey” was raised by her mother and father and loved by her Mamaw and Grandaddy. She played day in and day out with her brother, cousins and best friend Jenny. There are probably people who would pay for a childhood as idyllic as Rosey’s. Contrast Rose’s life a generation later when she’s a high-powered stressed-out lobbyist in Washington, D.C. As you can imagine, she looks good on the surface but underneath is a mess. A family event calls her home. You can tell where the book is probably heading, can't you? And you're right.

Rose is dreading the event as it means she’ll have to interact with her mother. Something happened to estrange them later in Rose’s childhood. You don’t know what until the end. You do know that Rose is becoming more and more tense as she sets out toward home in her fancy car wearing her fancy clothes and clutching her overworked Blackberry. On the way she faces physical obstacles: rain and traffic and the quest for a “healthy” restaurant. And there's something about driving by herself back to her roots that dredge up the full laundry list of all her bad choices and the mess they've gotten her in.

What intrigued me about the story, as I alluded to earlier, is how the strangers that Rose encounters along the way sense that her life is a mess. In one case, Rose lends a hand to a lady named Lilly and her baby who are stranded along the side of the road. After Rose drops them safely home, Lilly kneels in prayer for both her own struggles as well as for Rose’s. In another case, a waitress serves Rose a good ol’ Southern lunch, much to her protest but ends up quite satiated. After Rose pays and leaves, the waitress and her co-worker slip to the back room and say a prayer for Rose.  There are numerous other occasions during the trip home, where strangers pray for Rose. The one involving Abigail is so powerful that it will reduce you to tears.

It’s making me more aware of strangers and how God places them in our lives. How many times have I missed the opportunity to pray for a stranger because I was too caught up in my own routine? Conversely, how many times has a stranger prayed for me when I was having a bad day? How many times did that prayer make a difference, and I wasn’t even aware? I vow to be more aware of strangers and pray for them, especially ones that are looking sad. I’m also going to ask God to show me and give me signs as to who to pray for.

Denise Hildreth, the author, has a clever writing style. Rose has alternating flashbacks during the drive home of happy childhood memories and unhappy adulthood events. You’re wondering what could possibly have happened to such a well-loved little girl. In that respect, the book is suspenseful. The author uses clever phrasing throughout. For example, during one flashback of 10-year old Rosey and her cousin smoking their first (and only) cigarette, the author describes the children’s hands “encrusted with dirt from their earlier project of mud pies.” I thought that was cute. Later in the book, the conversation that Mamaw and Grandaddy have that explains “flies on the butter” (the title of the book) is priceless. The love that these two old people have for each other is so apparent in their words to each other.

The ending is somewhat predictable but very satisfying.

I’m so glad my sister-in-law lent me this book! I’ll probably pick up more books by Denise.

Comments

[Sue]

This one goes on my To Be Read list; thanks for the suggestion, Frances!