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Suffer the Little Children
Family is not our greatest success story, but it could be. Anne Mueller, the mother of a runaway daughter, carefully closets her pain and confusion only to watch if resurface when a thirteen-year-old neighbor child shows up at her door. Desperate to keep this child from the same fate, Anne realizes she must stop living in denial and start questioning conventional wisdom. Her resolve directs her to the resources offered by her wilderness environment: a Centuries-old harmony modeled by her Cree Native friends; the natural peace and balance of the Boreal forest; and the latent caring concern of her tiny wilderness community. The forest, however, provides the ultimate incentive. It pits Anne against her greatest fear, evoking a commitment to do whatever it takes to bring her child home. Thought-provoking and brimming with the wildness of this place, this is an adventure story on many levels
Nook
First published March 5, 2011
About the author
Christina Carson
9 books37 followersLeaving my budding career in biological research and disowned by my family due to my response to our involvement in the Vietnam War, I immigrated to Canada. I lived there 25 years until a Vietnam Vet asked me to marry him. Now there's a story for you. Canada will always be my home of heart and my first two novels take place there.
At 70 years of age, I'm really not so different than I always was, a loner, a runner, lover of animals and a beautifully turned phrase. I have worn many caps, worked in many different fields but have always had one thread running through my life, the insatiable curiosity to understand human nature sufficient to see another way to live, one more akin to what I see around me in the natural world. I'm inclined to write about that in a thousand different ways, well maybe only 20 or 30. Human cosmology is how I refer to it, and it won't let me be.
At 70 years of age, I'm really not so different than I always was, a loner, a runner, lover of animals and a beautifully turned phrase. I have worn many caps, worked in many different fields but have always had one thread running through my life, the insatiable curiosity to understand human nature sufficient to see another way to live, one more akin to what I see around me in the natural world. I'm inclined to write about that in a thousand different ways, well maybe only 20 or 30. Human cosmology is how I refer to it, and it won't let me be.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 7, 2012
I looked up the area of Alberta, Canada where this magnificent novel is set. Miles and miles of forest, filled with deer, birds, wolves and bears and other animals, but not many people. Especially the grizzly bears are unpredictable and dangerous to humans. Our heroine in the book is Anne Mueller, and an encounter with a grizzly cost her husband his life.
The book begins with a visit to Anne's lonely cabin from her nearest neighbor's 13-year-old daughter, who has run away from home. This girl, whose name is Sarah and whose nickname is Little Bit, finds a loving surrogate mother in Anne and finds safety in her house, protected by Anne and her big Bouvier dog, Timber.
I realized early on that this book is not so much about the beauty of the north woods and the challenges of carving out a life there, where your nearest neighbor is five miles away, and there are only five families within a radius of an hour's drive. The book is about mother-daughter relationships, and specifically about running away from your problems. Anne's real daughter ran away years ago, not long after Anne's husband's tragic death, and they haven't had contact since. Her budding relationship with the girl, Little Bit, reawakens old painful memories of what happened between her and her own daughter, and Anne realizes she will have to confront her greatest fears and weaknesses in order to go on living.
Out of this simple and classical premise, Christina Carson builds an elegiac and moving novel. The vast and beautiful and dangerous wilderness stands for the unexplored spaces in the human heart, the places you don't even dare to go. I read the book slowly, revelling in the spare, compressed language and content to follow every meander of Anne Mueller's thoughts as she progressed in her exploration of the dark interior of her own soul. This book is a real winner, a classic.
The book begins with a visit to Anne's lonely cabin from her nearest neighbor's 13-year-old daughter, who has run away from home. This girl, whose name is Sarah and whose nickname is Little Bit, finds a loving surrogate mother in Anne and finds safety in her house, protected by Anne and her big Bouvier dog, Timber.
I realized early on that this book is not so much about the beauty of the north woods and the challenges of carving out a life there, where your nearest neighbor is five miles away, and there are only five families within a radius of an hour's drive. The book is about mother-daughter relationships, and specifically about running away from your problems. Anne's real daughter ran away years ago, not long after Anne's husband's tragic death, and they haven't had contact since. Her budding relationship with the girl, Little Bit, reawakens old painful memories of what happened between her and her own daughter, and Anne realizes she will have to confront her greatest fears and weaknesses in order to go on living.
Out of this simple and classical premise, Christina Carson builds an elegiac and moving novel. The vast and beautiful and dangerous wilderness stands for the unexplored spaces in the human heart, the places you don't even dare to go. I read the book slowly, revelling in the spare, compressed language and content to follow every meander of Anne Mueller's thoughts as she progressed in her exploration of the dark interior of her own soul. This book is a real winner, a classic.
November 7, 2011
Sadly, I finished this book last night. The experience of reading the story of Anne (Nannie) and her transitions over several months will remain with me throughout the remainder of my life and guide me through many situations. The truths that Christina Carson lay out are so simple and yet so profound. If we all found a way through our troubles as Nannie does, we would all be so much happier.
But the book isn't special simply because of it's message, the characters are heart-breakingly real and the places are touchable. I know the house Nannie lives in and her clearing in the Alberta bushland. I can see the path she and Little Bit travel on the during that fateful night.
If everyone read and absorbed a 10th of this book, the world could change for the better. Congratulations and thank you to Christina Carson for writing a life-altering story.
But the book isn't special simply because of it's message, the characters are heart-breakingly real and the places are touchable. I know the house Nannie lives in and her clearing in the Alberta bushland. I can see the path she and Little Bit travel on the during that fateful night.
If everyone read and absorbed a 10th of this book, the world could change for the better. Congratulations and thank you to Christina Carson for writing a life-altering story.
September 9, 2012
On its surface, SUFFER THE LITTLE CHILDREN is a well told story about surviving in a harsh physical environment, and it tells the tale of a widow, a child, and a lonely man making their way in an isolated and isolating world. But to me, Carson's novel is actually about the difficulty of surviving human interactions, our own damaging thought processes, and our desire to be accepted by the 'outside' world. She weaves the threads of these seemingly divergent topics together to create a story that sparkles with the insights of native cultures and thinkers such as Herman Hesse and Khalil Gibran.
Carson provides a detailed look at the realities of living in the Canadian wilderness, including its unforgiving beauty and impartial violence. A good book for 'kids' of all ages, anyone who loves nature or animals, and those searching for a nudge toward their own inner peace.
Carson provides a detailed look at the realities of living in the Canadian wilderness, including its unforgiving beauty and impartial violence. A good book for 'kids' of all ages, anyone who loves nature or animals, and those searching for a nudge toward their own inner peace.
July 31, 2012
Recently, I was privileged to read what I believe is a book of enormous import to the world of readers and seekers...oh, hell...to all of us. As I came to the end of Christina Carson's "Dying to Know", I sat in stunned silence for quite some time, mulling it over. Then I gleefully shouted to the empty house, "Well butter my ass and call me a biscuit!" The light was blinding.
Now I'm dying to know how I will ever get "Dying To Know" out of my head. Between this book and a wonderful experience recently of Oscar Sparrow's poetry, I can feel my mind expanding, changing, healing... It is very clear to me that loving emissaries from the Universe itself have been wondrously placed in my path...and I shall never be the same.
It's been a long while since I read a book so thought-provoking and relevant to my own life. Ms. Carson is a story-teller of unequaled talent; I've read other writings of hers and always come away taller, more peaceful and imbued with a greater sense of dignity than before. Having grown up in the Southwest, I hail from a beautiful tri-culture that allows me to see her writing in any format as being deeply infused with what I call "coyote wisdom" (about soul and mind), as she brings us along on a journey filled with insights and images that break us out of our frozen-heart places and fully transform our awareness. Hers is truly a deep and profound intelligence.
"Dying to Know" provides insights into a person's hidden fears and hurts that often underlie and contribute to or even cause the development of many physical and psychological problems, and also suggests a variety of ancient and timeless solutions which inspire hope that change is possible. Her characters are richly believable and worm their way into your heart with total ease. The author guides us like a life compass, showing us what's good and lasting about our own selves as well as about humanity. In reading the book it reaffirmed my belief that we are all interconnected...and that brought me comfort. You will probably find yourself highlighting every other paragraph as I did. She is a soft-spoken sage, and in the undercurrent of the story, the careful reader will see the struggle with the paradoxical world and the taffy-pull of the scientist with the philosopher.
I leave you with a quote from the book which spoke deeply to me: "I must believe we can survive our parents and the bizarre tangle of needs they sought us out to meet, little children at the mercy of adults’ deep hungers and fears." Indeed. And another: "It is difficult to recognize the error of something we have always done wrong."
Christina Carson has gifted us a very beautiful, touching and life-altering book. I have hope we humans will make the choice made in the book and grow meaningfully into love. Her words are indeed a lamp unto our feet.
--Jo VonBargen 2012
Now I'm dying to know how I will ever get "Dying To Know" out of my head. Between this book and a wonderful experience recently of Oscar Sparrow's poetry, I can feel my mind expanding, changing, healing... It is very clear to me that loving emissaries from the Universe itself have been wondrously placed in my path...and I shall never be the same.
It's been a long while since I read a book so thought-provoking and relevant to my own life. Ms. Carson is a story-teller of unequaled talent; I've read other writings of hers and always come away taller, more peaceful and imbued with a greater sense of dignity than before. Having grown up in the Southwest, I hail from a beautiful tri-culture that allows me to see her writing in any format as being deeply infused with what I call "coyote wisdom" (about soul and mind), as she brings us along on a journey filled with insights and images that break us out of our frozen-heart places and fully transform our awareness. Hers is truly a deep and profound intelligence.
"Dying to Know" provides insights into a person's hidden fears and hurts that often underlie and contribute to or even cause the development of many physical and psychological problems, and also suggests a variety of ancient and timeless solutions which inspire hope that change is possible. Her characters are richly believable and worm their way into your heart with total ease. The author guides us like a life compass, showing us what's good and lasting about our own selves as well as about humanity. In reading the book it reaffirmed my belief that we are all interconnected...and that brought me comfort. You will probably find yourself highlighting every other paragraph as I did. She is a soft-spoken sage, and in the undercurrent of the story, the careful reader will see the struggle with the paradoxical world and the taffy-pull of the scientist with the philosopher.
I leave you with a quote from the book which spoke deeply to me: "I must believe we can survive our parents and the bizarre tangle of needs they sought us out to meet, little children at the mercy of adults’ deep hungers and fears." Indeed. And another: "It is difficult to recognize the error of something we have always done wrong."
Christina Carson has gifted us a very beautiful, touching and life-altering book. I have hope we humans will make the choice made in the book and grow meaningfully into love. Her words are indeed a lamp unto our feet.
--Jo VonBargen 2012
June 13, 2013
Don’t let the title Suffer the Little Children steer you away from this novel by Christina Carson. A friend of mine saw on Goodreads that I was reading this book. She usually likes the same type of fiction I do, but she was a bit frightened about the title. I assured her she had nothing to fear from this beautifully crafted novel set in Alberta, Canada.
One thing is certain. Ms. Carson loves the setting and creates a painting with her descriptions of an isolated, yet wholly stimulating life in the bush. Unconditional love exists in this world – between the animal kingdom and humans. It’s the humans who have a bit of trouble when it comes to practicing unconditional love with those closest to them. Ms. Carson makes Timber, her dog, and Spook, her horse, characters in this book. They become the symbol of what we strive for, but somehow when pride and emotions play chess with the people on the board, unconditional love seems to be impossible to achieve.
The author displays a healthy respect for and acceptance of wildlife, despite dangerous encounters with the most beastly of bears, the grizzly.
The “little children” who suffer in this novel do so because of the judgments and conditions adults put on “love.” Through a native family, lessons on love and acceptance of the past help the other characters move forward in their lives.
The main character, Anne, learns her lesson well, which allows the suffering to end.
Anne states, “I believe that every child, whether fifteen or fifty, longs to hear from his or her parents those words that say ‘I am sorry for all I did that hurt you.’” Anne realizes this as she helps her neighbor’s daughter, Little Bit, deal with the betrayal of her parents, and as Anne herself works to restore her relationship with her daughter.
Suffer the Little Children teaches life lessons, such as this one: “If you’re willing to have something new come about, you must be equally willing to let go of how it’s been.”
It also shows that the natural world provides a map for leading fulfilling lives free from free.
Ms. Carson’s descriptions are vivid enough for me to imagine Anne’s home and the massive bush of Alberta. The lure of nature leads the characters to the answers for all the questions lying within their hearts.
If you love multi-faceted plots with a majestic landscape providing a backdrop for the characters, then you will love Suffer the Little Children. You might even learn a little bit about living a sustainable and simple life filled with the only thing that matters: love.”
One thing is certain. Ms. Carson loves the setting and creates a painting with her descriptions of an isolated, yet wholly stimulating life in the bush. Unconditional love exists in this world – between the animal kingdom and humans. It’s the humans who have a bit of trouble when it comes to practicing unconditional love with those closest to them. Ms. Carson makes Timber, her dog, and Spook, her horse, characters in this book. They become the symbol of what we strive for, but somehow when pride and emotions play chess with the people on the board, unconditional love seems to be impossible to achieve.
The author displays a healthy respect for and acceptance of wildlife, despite dangerous encounters with the most beastly of bears, the grizzly.
The “little children” who suffer in this novel do so because of the judgments and conditions adults put on “love.” Through a native family, lessons on love and acceptance of the past help the other characters move forward in their lives.
The main character, Anne, learns her lesson well, which allows the suffering to end.
Anne states, “I believe that every child, whether fifteen or fifty, longs to hear from his or her parents those words that say ‘I am sorry for all I did that hurt you.’” Anne realizes this as she helps her neighbor’s daughter, Little Bit, deal with the betrayal of her parents, and as Anne herself works to restore her relationship with her daughter.
Suffer the Little Children teaches life lessons, such as this one: “If you’re willing to have something new come about, you must be equally willing to let go of how it’s been.”
It also shows that the natural world provides a map for leading fulfilling lives free from free.
Ms. Carson’s descriptions are vivid enough for me to imagine Anne’s home and the massive bush of Alberta. The lure of nature leads the characters to the answers for all the questions lying within their hearts.
If you love multi-faceted plots with a majestic landscape providing a backdrop for the characters, then you will love Suffer the Little Children. You might even learn a little bit about living a sustainable and simple life filled with the only thing that matters: love.”
August 28, 2011
This is a lovely book, beautifully written and thought provoking. The pacing is quick, yet the main character, Anne, is fully developed. The relationship that eventually blossoms with Anne's deceased husband's friend grows gently, tastefully, and honestly. The metaphors are exquisite, especially when Carson is writing about the boreal forest she so clearly loves. Her treatment of the Cardinals of the Cree Nation reminds me of parts of Louise Erdich's works; her love of the natural world is reminiscent of Linda Hogan. This is a good book for mothers and daughters of all ages to share. And anyone who loves animals will find Spook and Timber locked in their memory. You'll be thinking about the life lessons this book shares long after you read the final words.
Written by Patricia Macvaugh
Written by Patricia Macvaugh
July 13, 2013
I've lived in Alberta most of my life, but Christina Carson has managed to show me a huge chunk of that beautiful province that I didn't know. I've worked with Cree students, but again Christina showed me more aspects of their lives and culture. More than that though, Suffer the Little Children shows us another way to look at life and deal with what it brings us, both the good and the bad.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews