I am guilty of trying too hard.  That last sprinkle of salt in a soup can send it in the red zone of sodium content.  In trying to welcome a houseguest, I drive her crazy by offering every item in my cabinet.   Sometimes my outfits just have a little too much going on…going from effortless to over-the-top.  That’s how I felt about The Undoing of Saint Silvanus. Having enjoyed Beth Moore’s writing in the past, I felt sure that I would be absolutely entranced by her first novel.  While it was good, it wasn’t what I’d expect from Moore.  Her down to earth, delightful writing style just got lost in the story.  My BFF’s mom, who loaned me the book, gave it a B/C rating. I’d have to agree.

Moore sets up an interesting story line, then weaves in a few extra strands. Then a few more….and more.  Pretty soon I was lost in five relationships/time periods/situations and couldn’t find my way out.  Several times, I went back a few pages to see what I’d inadvertently skipped.  Some of the loose threads were never completely explained (or at least, I didn’t catch on.)  There was just too much going on.  It was like reading a #Christfic written by Tolkein. The forest was described in too much detail, and by the third page I’d forgotten we were even in a war.  Don’t get me wrong — I think she writes beautifully. It’s enchanting. Just too much in this type of novel.

I couldn’t get over the fact that everyone treated Jillian like she was 8 years old.  Despite her absolutely snotty behavior upon meeting her new family (which could really be forgiven, considering the circumstances) she was nearing 30 years old.  Was it too much to expect her to show a little gratitude?  Keep track of her own money?  Drink from a styrofoam cup, especially when depending on the mercy and generosity of near-strangers?   Apparently so.  Even at the end of the book, Jillian was given the royal treatment by everyone around her.  She might have been the darling of the family due to her position as the proprietor’s granddaughter, but there was more than a little eye-rolling from me.  Part of the problem might have been the emotional parallels that made me connect with the story.  Unfortunately, I have firsthand experience with being estranged from a birth father for 20 years….and learning that he passed away unexpectedly in Louisiana.  My family definitely didn’t pamper me like Jillian’s did.

Finally, it bothered me that everyone kept insisting that Jade loved Jillian.  While it would be wonderful for every mother to love her daughter, that’s not reality.  Some mothers are so self-absorbed that they don’t truly love anyone beyond themselves.  I’ve seen this with some mothers, sadly, and definitely recognized it in Jade.  Again, that whole dysfunctional relationship just got swept under the novelized rug without being fully explored.

In the end, The Undoing of Saint Silvanus took about 450ish pages.  That’s a long time to remedy 100+ years of turmoil.  Moore tried to fit it all in one book, and I think that’s where it went wrong for me.