Clear by Carys Davies
A journey of unexpected happiness
Where To Buy
Amazon: https://a.co/d/4uawctj
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/clear-carys-davies/1143636732
Why This Book?
This book was recommended to me by the King’s English Bookshop, and I was rewarded for taking a chance on it, having never read Carys Davies's works before. When I saw on the book cover that it involved a minister, I had to read it.
This book is easily read and will generate great discussion about finding happiness in unexpected places, especially on an island in the middle of nowhere in the North Atlantic. Carys Davies does a great job of isolating the societal norms of 1843, which involve greed, religion, and traditional relationships, on an island where their power is diminished.
It explores the simple needs of Ivar, the island’s last remaining resident, who survives by the simplicity of his everyday solitary life. But it’s unexpectedly interrupted by John Ferguson, a preacher whose freedom of religion convictions led to the creation of the Free Church of England, which left him without money to support his recently married wife, Mary. Evicting Ivar for the landowner is how they survive for now.
But things don’t go as planned, and the resulting challenges send each person on a journey of isolation and transformative self-discovery. Or were they always this way, masking their way through life as society expects? Who will they be when they finally leave the island? That’s for you and your small group to decide.
What We’ll Discuss
Next, I will post about these characters at the following stages of their journey, and I’ll add biblical references relating to what they are experiencing and seek a connection to our everyday modern life journeys:
Their “civilized” religious life and the disruption that forces compromise, sending John and Mary on their journey, will be contrasted to Ivar’s simple, routine daily life, far from civilization.
The journey, island, and Ivar force John to learn to speak a new language and see survival and life from a compassionate perspective he never anticipated.
Mary’s solo journey to find John and bring him back to the life she expected, only to find him irrevocably different from the man she thought she knew. We’ll discuss how she adjusts to the new life in front of her.