Gilead: A Novel
Marilynne Robinson

On the surface, this book should not have appealed to me at all. The story of the domestic life of a small town minister in the mid-west, it has nothing of interest to me (besides some references to John Brown). But Gilead is one of the most highly realized and best-constructed novels I have ever read. This isn’t flashy David Foster Wallace / Lydia Davis style pyrotechnics, its near perfect prose coupled with brilliant storytelling. You can read this in a matter of days, and if you want to see fiction delivered at the highest level of the craft, you should pick it up.

Recommended.