A Prayer for the Dying (original 1999; edition 1999)

This was one of the more depressing books I've read lately. ( )

This novel will slowly take you down a dark path, as Jacob Hansen, preacher, sheriff and undertaker, tries to keep his small Wisconsin town alive against a diphtheria outbreak. He is also haunted by his recent experiences in the Civil War, which pushed him to the brink of sanity. This book has the feel, and undoubtedly the quality, of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. Find a copy and get hooked on the works of Stewart O'Nan. ( )

In the late 1970s a book of old photographs called [b:Wisconsin Death Trip|200081|Wisconsin Death Trip (Wisconsin)|Michael Lesy|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172627923s/200081.jpg|193568] was rather popular in the upper Midwest. The most shocking of the photographs to our modern sensibilities were those of dead children in their coffins. I kept thinking about that book as I read [a:Stewart O'Nan|18341|Stewart O'Nan|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1206592605p2/18341.jpg]'s [b:A Prayer Before Dying].

I chose to read the book because it received rave reviews from some people on the DorothyL mystery list, but I wouldn't call it a mystery. It is almost a horror novel, although not in any supernatural sense. One could also call it an examination of post-traumatic stress disorder.

The book is written using the second person singular, an unusual style, as if perhaps the reader is being forcibly put in the place of the protagonist. He is a Civil War veteran who fills three jobs in the small town of Friendship, Wisconsin: he is the town constable, the undertaker, and the lay preacher in the church. When the book opens, he is summoned to pick up a body in the woods behind a local farm, and finds that it is a fellow veteran (unknown to him) who is on the tramp and appears to have been murdered. But his investigation is put aside when diphtheria appears in town. He and the town doctor must decide how to handle the threat of an epidemic, and they decide wrongly. As if things weren't bad enough, a huge forest fire is raging in the region and keeps getting closer to Friendship. It's not far into the book before you realize there will be no happy ending here.

There really was a great fire in northeastern Wisconsin in 1871 (at the same time as, though unrelated to, the Chicago fire), and anyone who has walked through a Midwestern cemetery from that era has doubtless seen evidence of diphtheria epidemics. Although I can't say I enjoyed this book, it was well-written and a study of one man's descent into madness in the face of disaster. It would be interesting to read this in conjunction with [a:Geraldine Brooks|211268|Geraldine Brooks|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1223175116p2/211268.jpg]'s [b:Year of Wonders|4965|Year of Wonders|Geraldine Brooks|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165517036s/4965.jpg|3211895], with which it has both similarities and differences. ( )

I Loved this book! I had originally gone to my library to borrow"Snow Angels",same author.I looked and saw "A Prayer"...........so I took it out as well.I read "A Prayer,"straight through, taking a couple of short breaks for munchies and rest room.I just had to read it in one setting. I am not one to give all the details,I think anyone can read other reviews and catch the drift of the story. I think this book is worth a read. ( )

I loved this book!
Good versus evil. Struggles of faith and sanity. With the focus on disease and death, you wouldn't think this is the type of book that might be considered "unputdownable." Yet it comes very, very close. O'Nan draws us in and keeps us riveted as Hansen struggles with his own ghosts, fears, and emotions as he seeks to fulfill his duties to his family, his community and neighboring areas. Part of the power comes from A Prayer for the Dying being written in second personal singular. Although Hansen is relating the story, he refers to himself as "you," such as, "You've been in the business long enough to understand grief." This unique perspective had me doing and experiencing as much as Hansen. At the core of the book is the internal struggle that is created by choices and Hansen's own struggle of faith. Should he and the town's doctor impose a quarantine, given the twin threats of diphtheria and fire? If so, when? Should he use his knowledge of the fact that a couple of outsiders have died of diphtheria to send his wife and infant daughter away for safety's sake while not telling anyone else? What risks do his jobs pose his family and anyone else with whom he comes in contact? Why has God beset him and his town with plague and fire? O'Nan packs this all into less than 200 pages of highly readable prose. If you haven't read this novel before, you are missing something very special. If you've already read it, it is unquestionably worth reading again - and again. ( )