“The writing life is brutal on a wounded mind. It really is. So much time spent alone. So much time spent in self-reflection.“
Growing up a Jew near New York City might have had its own set of problems for Andrew Klavan, but having parents who actively didn’t want their children to fit in with the other Jews in their neighborhood compounded it. They were better and the world didn’t respect them. Not until Andrew is grown, married and is a father does he realize his childhood left him with problems dealing with day-to-day life. After coming to terms with his past through psychiatric help, there is finally room in his life, heart and soul to contemplate spirituality and he tells his story in The Great Good Thing.
My grandmother recommended The Great Good Thing to me. She was reading it and thought I might find it interesting. It’s a conversion story – someone coming to faith in Christianity. I’ve read several through the years, but this one is very real and nitty-gritty, dealing with a person’s dark side and the struggles a rough childhood can put on adulthood.
Klavan is also a writer who struggles with knowing societal norms. His parents did not teach him that struggles were a part of life or that there is usually a ladder to climb in careers. He travels, drops out of college and quits jobs on whims. Yet, somehow he and his wife make enough to live. Eventually a book gets published, but doesn’t do well and he has to face reality. It takes five years of therapy and another book before he can truly let go of the effects of his parents on his life.
No one is perfect and The Great Good Thing shows how seeking truth and honesty can lead someone to a path towards God. Klavan takes years and years of exploring and searching, reading and talking, living and trying to finally come to the conclusion that love proves God exists. The Great Good Thing is a very interesting read to see how one person comes to find faith after having a hard life. I would recommend it to people who enjoy reading autobiographies.
Do you enjoy biographies? If so, share your favorite on the blog!