#AmReading – Fuller Man

And A Highway Shall Be There…

Fuller Man by Diane Glancy (1999) – In rural Missouri, Hadley Williges struggles to find her way through life torn between the faith inherited from her mother and the freedom represented by her father. Her brother and sister find paths at the extremes, while Hadley toils in a middle way. She seeks the meaning of the Bible verse that promises “And a highway shall be there, and a way.”

This isn’t an everyday kind of novel. As I write that, the thought occurs, “Actually, that’s exactly what this is.” Diane Glancy tells us a story that, like everyday life, lacks a central driving narrative. The story happens, a day at a time, a month at a time, a year at a time. The characters and events in the life of Hadley Williges swirl around her, without clear meaning promised. We struggle to understand as she does. Her father and her Uncle Farley search for meaning on the road, as news reporter and photographer for the local newspaper. Her parents spend what time they are together arguing, and the three children, Hadley, her sister Nealy and brother Gus find their own ways to deal with it. Nealy in the outer world, and Gus in the inner one.

What is striking, and carried me through the moments when I wasn’t sure what was going on, is the craftsmanship of Glancy’s writing. She puts you into Missouri, into Hadley’s yearning for she knows not what. There is an expressiveness to her writing that is rare to find. It’s not there to show off. Rather, this is the lyrical storytelling that carries through the fights, the surprises, the mysteries, and the regrets. It is a story of faith, and the quest to answer the question-a faith in what? Given that she has written novels, short stories, and poetry, her mastery of expressive language shouldn’t come as a surprise.

I find myself of two minds on “Fuller Man.” I am struck by the beautiful use of the language, and the storytelling.  At the same time, I can’t say I fell in love with the story or the characters.  In the end, the book has stayed with me in ways that others have not. In the days after I finished, I kept circling back to Hadley and her quest. That’s no small thing in a book.

Rating – *** Worth A Look