Our Lady of the Forest

Our Lady of the Forest by David Guterson was quite a pleasant surprise! I loved Snow Falling on Cedars, but was hugely disappointed with his second novel, East of the Mountains. So much so I'm surprised I even picked up this book, but it was being sold at a bargain price at the Strand in NY, so I must have thought it worth the chance.

A teenage runaway who makes her living collecting mushrooms in the Pacific Northwest has a vision of the Virgin Mary in the woods. She tells a few people about it--an opportunistic fellow mushroom picker and the young priest of a struggling parish--and soon she has attracted hundreds if not thousands of followers. They descend on this small Washington town, setting up souvenir stands and selling snacks at outrageous prices. Some believe it is truly a miracle, while others are skeptical and think the girl's past drug use has something to do with her visions. The lives of the townspeople are woven into the story--the priest who wants to build a new church, the mother of a missing child, and a father who feels responsible for his son's debilitating accident. They all find hope in the Virgin's appearance, whether they truly believe in it or not.

This isn't the kind of subject matter I'm usually drawn to, but Guterson handles it well. We're never told definitively if the visions are real or false--it's left to the reader to decide. The mix of sincere belief and opportunistic swindling is an apt commentary on modern-day religion in America. It is often commercial and after the money of its followers, but occasionally people are sincere. Although not as sweeping as Snow Falling on Cedars, this was an engaging novel, and in the future I would happily pick up another of his books from a bookstore sale table.