Our Lady of the Forest

Starred review from July 28, 2003
A starred or boxed review indicates a book of outstanding quality. A review with a blue-tinted title indicates a book of unusual commercial interest that hasn't received a starred or boxed review. OUR LADY OF THE FOREST David Guterson. Knopf, $25.95 (336p) ISBN 0-375-41211-5 When Ann Holmes starts having visions of the Virgin Mary, the bedraggled teen runaway becomes the last hope for the inhabitants of a dank, economically depressed logging town and the hordes of miracle-seekers who descend on it. In this panoramic, psychologically dense novel, she also becomes a symbol of the intimate intertwining of the sacred and the profane in American life. Guterson (Snow Falling on Cedars; East of the Mountains), tells the story from the viewpoint of four lost souls groping for redemption: Ann; Carolyn, an aging, overeducated, cynical drifter who takes Ann under her wing to profit from her growing fame; a local priest wrestling with his doubts about, and lust for, the visionary; and a tormented ex-logger trying to atone for the accident that paralyzed his son. Guterson's evocative prose, pithy dialogue and piercing insights cut through the fog of sin and guilt that shadows these wounded characters like the overcast sky of the Pacific Northwest. And as Ann's visions stimulate a tourism boom and draw the attention of media vultures and a skeptical Catholic Church, Guterson explores larger social themes—the demise of blue-collar America; the ironic symbiosis of religious devotion and commercial exploitation; the replacement of faith in God by faith in psychopharmacology; and the link between the exaltation of women's saintliness and the reality of women's degradation. Searching for the miraculous in the mundane, this ambitious and satisfying work builds vivid characters and trenchant storytelling into a serious and compassionate look at the moral quandaries of modern life. (Oct. 3)Forecast:The gloominess of this uncompromising novel may deflect some readers, but others will be drawn in by its intensity. Look for it to hit bestseller lists, though the 350,000 first printing may be ambitious.

Starred review from June 1, 2003
Guterson won the 1995 PEN/Faulkner Award for Snow Falling on Cedars, and his latest novel should receive comparable acclaim. It is set in the forests of Washington State, where a failing lumber town receives 85 inches of rain a year. The continual grayness works together with mildew, moss, and the pervasive damp to create a convincing atmosphere of defeat. Into this environment comes Ann, an abused and now homeless teenager who while sick and severely malnourished has a vision of the Virgin Mary. For this dark and forgotten town, her vision becomes a ray of sunlight-and a source of economic development. Knowledge of Ann's vision rapidly draws the web-informed followers of Virgin sightings from across the country, and the miracles associated with it become a source of debate within the hierarchy of the Catholic Church and among Ann's disciples, who include the devout and the opportunistic. The most notable aspect of Guterson's novel is the depth and complexity with which he imbues his characters; even the crowd of followers is given definition. This exquisitely set novel evokes the many complicated aspects of the human condition within a timeless yet unique story. Highly recommended for all readers at all libraries.-Rebecca Stuhr, Grinnell Coll. Libs., IA

Copyright 2003 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2004
Adult/High School-Guterson gives readers a contemporary world in which spiritual and ancient concerns are brought to the forefront of awareness. Subsisting as an itinerant mushroom picker in the rain forest of Washington, an abused runaway teen experiences visions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who speaks to her and directs her to encourage the building of a shrine in the place of the visions' occurrence. A slightly older young woman, who has no belief in the tenets of any faith, introduces Ann to the local Roman Catholic priest, a man who is both intellectual and spiritual, and who is bothered by his own predilection for impure thoughts about the young seer. News of Ann's visions brings in hordes of believers and the curious, including another local, a middle-aged man who has isolated himself since the accident that paralyzed his teenaged son. Guterson keeps this diverse handful of central characters in constant tension, allowing readers to empathize with all of them while questioning their motives. Teens concerned with matters of faith, belief, the mysteries surrounding unbidden experiences with mythically powerful beings, and the fallible nature of both the best and the worst adults will find a lot here to ponder and discuss. Familiarity with Christianity isn't necessary to accessing this tale, although such a background will add another layer of complexity to readers' considerations of the story.-Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley Public Library, CA

Copyright 2003 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2003
Guterson follows up "Snow Falling on Cedars" (1994) and "East of the Mountains "(1999) with another novel set in the Pacific Northwest. The rain-sodden timber town of North Fork has been hit hard by the downturn in the timber industry, and the only businesses that thrive are the bars, patronized by out-of-work loggers and itinerant mushroom pickers. One of these, Ann Holmes, is a fragile teenage runaway who is convinced that the Virgin Mary visits her in the rain forest. Too many psilocybin mushrooms, or is Ann a true visionary? Before long, thousands of pilgrims arrive in North Fork, overrunning the local motels and laundromats, trampling the forest floor, and hanging religious gimcracks on bushes and trees. Meanwhile, the locals respond in different ways. Some, like Ann's cynical de facto manager Carolyn Greer, see a moneymaking opportunity. Father Collins, the young priest to whom Ann brings a message from the Virgin, has to reconcile his own skepticism, longings, and beliefs. And Tom Cross, whose life has imploded since a logging accident that paralyzed his son, is looking for redemption. Though some readers may be frustrated by the slow pace, Guterson's third novel is thoughtful, humane, richly detailed, and atmospheric. It should be welcomed by those who loved "Snow Falling on Cedars." (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2003, American Library Association.)