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Sufficient Grace
WINNER OF THE VICTORIAN PREMIER'S LITERARY AWARD FOR AN UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPT
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2013 UTS GLENDA ADAMS AWARD FOR NEW WRITING IN THE NSW PREMIER’S LITERARY AWARDS
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2014 BARBARA JEFFERIS AWARD
Ruth and her cousin Naomi live in rural Wisconsin, part of an isolated religious community. The girls’ lives are ruled by the rhythms of nature — the harsh winters, the hunting seasons, the harvesting of crops — and by their families’ beliefs. Beneath the surface of this closed, frozen world, hidden dangers lurk.
Then Ruth learns that Naomi harbours a terrible secret. She searches for solace in the mysteries of the natural broken fawns, migrating birds, and the strange fish deep beneath the ice. Can the girls’ prayers for deliverance be answered?
Sufficient Grace is a story of lost innocence and the unfailing bond between two young women. It is at once devastating and beautiful, and ultimately transcendent.
PRAISE FOR AMY ESPESETH
‘Divine … exquisite … Sufficient Grace is a mighty achievement and is among the year's must-read literary novels.’ The Age
‘Espeseth is a gorgeous writer; this book is dense with finely etched imagery, much of it rooted in the natural world.’ The Weekend Australian
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2013 UTS GLENDA ADAMS AWARD FOR NEW WRITING IN THE NSW PREMIER’S LITERARY AWARDS
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2014 BARBARA JEFFERIS AWARD
Ruth and her cousin Naomi live in rural Wisconsin, part of an isolated religious community. The girls’ lives are ruled by the rhythms of nature — the harsh winters, the hunting seasons, the harvesting of crops — and by their families’ beliefs. Beneath the surface of this closed, frozen world, hidden dangers lurk.
Then Ruth learns that Naomi harbours a terrible secret. She searches for solace in the mysteries of the natural broken fawns, migrating birds, and the strange fish deep beneath the ice. Can the girls’ prayers for deliverance be answered?
Sufficient Grace is a story of lost innocence and the unfailing bond between two young women. It is at once devastating and beautiful, and ultimately transcendent.
PRAISE FOR AMY ESPESETH
‘Divine … exquisite … Sufficient Grace is a mighty achievement and is among the year's must-read literary novels.’ The Age
‘Espeseth is a gorgeous writer; this book is dense with finely etched imagery, much of it rooted in the natural world.’ The Weekend Australian
337 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 17, 2012
14 people are currently reading
679 people want to read
About the author
Amy Espeseth
3 books9 followersAmy Espeseth’s first novel, Sufficient Grace, was awarded the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for an unpublished manuscript in 2009 and was published by Scribe in September 2012. An extract from her second novel, Trouble Telling the Weather, won the QUT Postgraduate Creative Writing Prize in 2010.
Amy was born in rural Wisconsin in 1974 and immigrated to Australia in 1998. She holds a MA in creative writing from the University of Melbourne, where she is a sessional tutor and PhD student. Her fiction has appeared in various journals, and she received the Felix Meyer Award for Literature in 2007.
Amy is the publisher at Vignette Press. Continuing Vignette’s sub-cultural journal series (including Sex Mook and Death Mook), Geek Mook was launched in late 2011. She lives in Footscray.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
February 23, 2017
This was one of the February #MothBox book picks and I am so very glad it was becuase I'd never heard of it before, but I really truly loved it. Sufficient Grace is a blending of themes told through a young narrator. Ruth is just 13 years old when we pick up her tale and meet the world she knows are home. Ruth lives in a small church community, fairy isolated from other communities who live near by such as local Mennonites and Native Indians. Her church is devout at all times, and rigorous about prayer, baptism and confession. She's been raised to believe that God will definitely see and smite her if she does wrong, so she tries daily to please her friends and family, and she tries her best to be pure and devout too.
What I most enjoyed about this book were the themes and the beautiful sentences. Instead of just saying what happens, Ruth has a way with words which makes you feel the chill bite of the winds in wintertime, and the soft melting of snows in spring. She's able to describe her rural life of hunting, killing, farming and praying in a way that is both tragic, haunting and beautiful. Ruth doesn't know anything different from what she's taught and what she sees from those around her. She knows that there are probably secrets, but she doesn't want to know them...or does she?
We also follow Naomi, Ruth's cousin, who was adopted into the family as a baby. Originally from a Native Indian family Naomi is instantly different from the rest and alluring to many, inspiring to others. Being the same age as Ruth they are firm friends who would do anything and everything for one another, but it is clear that Naomi is the one favoured with attention...of all kinds...
Truly this novel is not just the story of two girls who grew up isolated, afraid and secretive, it's more about the themes in the book hiding behind the beautiful sentences. We see a lot of death within these pages, from small struggling animals, hunted prey to family members both old and young. What Ruth knows as normal is a life with blood and destruction, but of course this cannot compare to the blood of someone she knows when that arrives...
Alongside the themes of death we have the discussions of faith and belief. Sometimes people see what they are told to see, sometimes they really see something... Ruth has a lot of trouble determining if what she sees is a true miracle/tragedy or if she's trying to convince herself of these things. I constantly found myself moved by her metaphors and saddened by what happened in their lives.
I would say that this is definitely an immersive and captivating read. It will make you think and it will draw you in with tender beautiful words, but once it has its claws in you you will not wish to stop reading. I definitely found myself absorbed, and I would certainly recommend this read overall. I gave it 4.5*s and I will be looking out for more from this author in future!
What I most enjoyed about this book were the themes and the beautiful sentences. Instead of just saying what happens, Ruth has a way with words which makes you feel the chill bite of the winds in wintertime, and the soft melting of snows in spring. She's able to describe her rural life of hunting, killing, farming and praying in a way that is both tragic, haunting and beautiful. Ruth doesn't know anything different from what she's taught and what she sees from those around her. She knows that there are probably secrets, but she doesn't want to know them...or does she?
We also follow Naomi, Ruth's cousin, who was adopted into the family as a baby. Originally from a Native Indian family Naomi is instantly different from the rest and alluring to many, inspiring to others. Being the same age as Ruth they are firm friends who would do anything and everything for one another, but it is clear that Naomi is the one favoured with attention...of all kinds...
Truly this novel is not just the story of two girls who grew up isolated, afraid and secretive, it's more about the themes in the book hiding behind the beautiful sentences. We see a lot of death within these pages, from small struggling animals, hunted prey to family members both old and young. What Ruth knows as normal is a life with blood and destruction, but of course this cannot compare to the blood of someone she knows when that arrives...
Alongside the themes of death we have the discussions of faith and belief. Sometimes people see what they are told to see, sometimes they really see something... Ruth has a lot of trouble determining if what she sees is a true miracle/tragedy or if she's trying to convince herself of these things. I constantly found myself moved by her metaphors and saddened by what happened in their lives.
I would say that this is definitely an immersive and captivating read. It will make you think and it will draw you in with tender beautiful words, but once it has its claws in you you will not wish to stop reading. I definitely found myself absorbed, and I would certainly recommend this read overall. I gave it 4.5*s and I will be looking out for more from this author in future!
January 19, 2014
If there isn't already an audiobook of this read by the author, there needs to be. I did my postgrad with Amy Espeseth (we got our MAs in the same graduation ceremony) and so I've followed her work and heard her read from what would become Sufficient Grace many times. Certain moments in the book were familiar to me even before I'd read them in context – especially Ruth snuggling for warmth in the soft fur of the dead deer in the truck – because I'd been so struck by hearing them read aloud. I read the voice of this novel in the rhythms and tones of Espeseth's own voice.
I've seen this compared to Winter's Bone , and I think that despite the disparate geographic locations, this is because of the stark wintriness and the setting within an isolated community where ties of family are far stronger than those of the state or of society. Also like Winter's Bone this is a book in which people's personal, private longings are dwarfed by their sense of duty, and the protagonist's fierce love for her family overrides everything.
What makes Samuel such a monstrous character is that he doesn't recognise these ties or honour the people who raised him, and instead callously, recklessly asserts his own individual desires. I richly enjoyed his fate, because it was all about reasserting the primacy of family over Samuel's individuality. I felt Peter was Samuel's opposite: someone struggling with wanting worldly happiness and personal fulfilment, but ultimately, heroically, sacrificing them to choose the path of family.
Espeseth's prose is wonderfully tender and poetic in a way that's all the more affecting because she's often writing about brutal things. Her language is something to savour. I really loved Ruth's attachment to nature and ability to lose herself within it, her empathy with animals and ethical feelings about their treatment, and the way her observations about the animal world inform her interactions with people. I was also struck by how much attention Ruth pays to scent, which made this book visceral to read.
A cornier approach to this story would have painted Ruth as sheltered and naive about 'the facts of life' because of her Pentecostal upbringing, presenting her and Naomi as repressed victims of an authoritarian, paternalistic culture. But Ruth is knowing because she has learned to observe and to feel. She and Naomi respond to their situation with agency. And authority comes from different, unexpected places in Ruth's world, not just flowing from the church.
I was sort of expecting to feel alienated by the religious isolationism of the book but at first was surprised that religion didn't dominate the story as I'd thought it would. Instead it provides the ordinary rhythms of family life and an allegorical framework for these characters to make ethical decisions. The meaning Ruth draws from her faith is idiosyncratic, and inextricable from the natural world from which she draws so much strength.
I've seen this compared to Winter's Bone , and I think that despite the disparate geographic locations, this is because of the stark wintriness and the setting within an isolated community where ties of family are far stronger than those of the state or of society. Also like Winter's Bone this is a book in which people's personal, private longings are dwarfed by their sense of duty, and the protagonist's fierce love for her family overrides everything.
What makes Samuel such a monstrous character is that he doesn't recognise these ties or honour the people who raised him, and instead callously, recklessly asserts his own individual desires. I richly enjoyed his fate, because it was all about reasserting the primacy of family over Samuel's individuality. I felt Peter was Samuel's opposite: someone struggling with wanting worldly happiness and personal fulfilment, but ultimately, heroically, sacrificing them to choose the path of family.
Espeseth's prose is wonderfully tender and poetic in a way that's all the more affecting because she's often writing about brutal things. Her language is something to savour. I really loved Ruth's attachment to nature and ability to lose herself within it, her empathy with animals and ethical feelings about their treatment, and the way her observations about the animal world inform her interactions with people. I was also struck by how much attention Ruth pays to scent, which made this book visceral to read.
A cornier approach to this story would have painted Ruth as sheltered and naive about 'the facts of life' because of her Pentecostal upbringing, presenting her and Naomi as repressed victims of an authoritarian, paternalistic culture. But Ruth is knowing because she has learned to observe and to feel. She and Naomi respond to their situation with agency. And authority comes from different, unexpected places in Ruth's world, not just flowing from the church.
I was sort of expecting to feel alienated by the religious isolationism of the book but at first was surprised that religion didn't dominate the story as I'd thought it would. Instead it provides the ordinary rhythms of family life and an allegorical framework for these characters to make ethical decisions. The meaning Ruth draws from her faith is idiosyncratic, and inextricable from the natural world from which she draws so much strength.
December 3, 2012
This is the most surprising novel I've ever read. I won it and expected to wade through it because I felt obliged. I did not expect to stay up to 4am, desperate to take in every last word. The style of this novel was absolutely breathtaking, like an image. The genre and style were two things I'd never approached before--on purpose--but I was completely blindsided by how much I loved this. This is an Australian novel but the author lived in Wisconsin--this is very clear from the outset. The setting and heart of this novel was not researched, it was lived. I believed every beautifully described sentence and soaked it in, almost as if telling myself "Oh, this is what description is meant to look like." People who know my reading habits know that I dislike purple prose and dwelling on locations but I can truthfully say that was put aside and forgotten for Sufficient Grace.
Sufficient Grace is a slow burning novel that carefully draws you in rather then packing a large punch. There are moments where you'll be amazed and blindsided but it's more about the atmosphere then the big events. If anything. I'd liken this book to To Kill A Mockingbird but I much, much preferred this.
The plot was simple and spread thin between the descriptions of the country and animals, and the foreboding scenes of hunting and death, all of this working very well overall. The first half dragged a bit, but more in a "I wonder what's going to happen" sort of way rather then a "is anything going to happen?" way. I loved how Amy Espesth didn't patronize her readers but alps made it clear what was unfolding. Don't you hate those book where everything is in code and you know something big has happened but you're not quite sure what? This book easily could have been that code sort of book but everytime it inched into that skirting the subject territory Espesth would bump it back into the world of linear plot and realism.
The twists were largely predictable up until about a hundred pages to go. The end was satisfying in an unsettling way and the hint at a larger twist at the end had me flipping back through for the signs. It had you questioning your own values at the end. [spoilers removed] The plot came second to the setting and characterization but still managed to be interesting and worthy.
The reason this is four stars and not five is because this is not my genre. Much of the religious context was lost on me, no doubt, and there are many people out there that would've appreciated the writing even more. This book had the perfect balance of everything, but I'm not afraid to admit that I do crave lots of movement in terms of plot. If the first half had been even just doubly as fast this would be a five out of five. Also, the characters, as amazingly done as they were, weren't the perfect fit on my "scale of relatability and likeability." At times the main character, Ruth, could be too flippant or too obsessive but her character development was incredible. Lastly, the last star was taken off for the plot with the mother and her two lovers. I think the only thing I disliked about that arc was the way in which it was almost portrayed in a typical teen love triangle way--there were glances across tables, lingering hands etc etc. Maybe I'm just jaded from too much bad YA. Whatever it is, this is a 4 out of 5 and a strong one at that.
There are some books that you remember as being action packed, some you remember as having wicked characters, some you remember as bring a big ball of emotion. When I think of this book I just picture the almost-photographic image the prose brings to mind and the sickly-sweet, disturbing plot that slowly unravels itself in a quiet, completely natural way. People who are looking for fun, easy books with huge scenes and dreamy characters can skip this one, but for people who appreciate books that just exhibit the art of writing and have intricately woven themes--you may want to check this out. For some it may be controversial--okay, for more then some--but I thought the confrontational nature of the story only added to the beauty of the piece. This is less a book, more a work of art. Now, next time I start my "literature is the purest and most perfect art form" debate, I'll just point to Sufficient Grace.
Plot Rating: 7.5/10
Character Rating: 8:10
Style of Writing: 10/10
First 1/3: 5/10
Second 1/3: 6.5/10
Third 1/3: 8.5/10
MC Rating: 7.5/10
Scenery Rating: 10/10
Concept Rating: 6/10
Emotional Rating: 6.5/10
Overall Rating: 75.5/100
Lastly I'd just like to say I won this through Goodreads, so thanks for that, and that this novel put my faith back into the art of covers. I can't stop staring at it...
Sufficient Grace is a slow burning novel that carefully draws you in rather then packing a large punch. There are moments where you'll be amazed and blindsided but it's more about the atmosphere then the big events. If anything. I'd liken this book to To Kill A Mockingbird but I much, much preferred this.
The plot was simple and spread thin between the descriptions of the country and animals, and the foreboding scenes of hunting and death, all of this working very well overall. The first half dragged a bit, but more in a "I wonder what's going to happen" sort of way rather then a "is anything going to happen?" way. I loved how Amy Espesth didn't patronize her readers but alps made it clear what was unfolding. Don't you hate those book where everything is in code and you know something big has happened but you're not quite sure what? This book easily could have been that code sort of book but everytime it inched into that skirting the subject territory Espesth would bump it back into the world of linear plot and realism.
The twists were largely predictable up until about a hundred pages to go. The end was satisfying in an unsettling way and the hint at a larger twist at the end had me flipping back through for the signs. It had you questioning your own values at the end. [spoilers removed] The plot came second to the setting and characterization but still managed to be interesting and worthy.
The reason this is four stars and not five is because this is not my genre. Much of the religious context was lost on me, no doubt, and there are many people out there that would've appreciated the writing even more. This book had the perfect balance of everything, but I'm not afraid to admit that I do crave lots of movement in terms of plot. If the first half had been even just doubly as fast this would be a five out of five. Also, the characters, as amazingly done as they were, weren't the perfect fit on my "scale of relatability and likeability." At times the main character, Ruth, could be too flippant or too obsessive but her character development was incredible. Lastly, the last star was taken off for the plot with the mother and her two lovers. I think the only thing I disliked about that arc was the way in which it was almost portrayed in a typical teen love triangle way--there were glances across tables, lingering hands etc etc. Maybe I'm just jaded from too much bad YA. Whatever it is, this is a 4 out of 5 and a strong one at that.
There are some books that you remember as being action packed, some you remember as having wicked characters, some you remember as bring a big ball of emotion. When I think of this book I just picture the almost-photographic image the prose brings to mind and the sickly-sweet, disturbing plot that slowly unravels itself in a quiet, completely natural way. People who are looking for fun, easy books with huge scenes and dreamy characters can skip this one, but for people who appreciate books that just exhibit the art of writing and have intricately woven themes--you may want to check this out. For some it may be controversial--okay, for more then some--but I thought the confrontational nature of the story only added to the beauty of the piece. This is less a book, more a work of art. Now, next time I start my "literature is the purest and most perfect art form" debate, I'll just point to Sufficient Grace.
Plot Rating: 7.5/10
Character Rating: 8:10
Style of Writing: 10/10
First 1/3: 5/10
Second 1/3: 6.5/10
Third 1/3: 8.5/10
MC Rating: 7.5/10
Scenery Rating: 10/10
Concept Rating: 6/10
Emotional Rating: 6.5/10
Overall Rating: 75.5/100
Lastly I'd just like to say I won this through Goodreads, so thanks for that, and that this novel put my faith back into the art of covers. I can't stop staring at it...
December 5, 2015
This was our November read for Book Club. Let's cut to the chase.... I didn't like it. It's the story of an extended farming family in Wisconsin who lead a fundamentalist church group. The book is told from the perspective of a girl named Ruth and her struggles and trials. I did enjoy some of the author's writing but for the most part I found the book 'muddy' and hard to relate to. Score: 5/10
March 13, 2013
Damn good! A bit bumpy in places but never went over the cliff. Thought the villain was a bit one-dimensional. Other characters were great. Liked disclaimer at the end, addressed to members of her family.
February 15, 2013
From the contained poetry of the title and the delicately brutal cover art, the sweet yet shocking opening scene to the closing realisation of the young protagonist, reading Sufficient Grace was a beautiful experience.
July 21, 2014
This author certainly knows how to write beautiful imagery. Set in the depths of a US winter, it was misery to read in the depths of a Melbourne July - would have been much better to read on a beach! But needed a much firmer hand in editing, and more balanced character development.
October 11, 2019
dnf'd with like barely any of the book left but anyway, it dragged too much and just took way to long to get to the point; which didn't make it suspenseful or disturbing or anything - just annoying and slow
May 27, 2017
I received this book in Moth Box, subscription box celebrating independent publishers, and I am glad that I got the box because I don't think I would have read this book otherwise. Sufficient Grace is a story of two young girls living in rural religious community, and how they struggle through growing up and becoming women. It is incredibly sad and hard book to go through; it is definitely character driven and the plot goes around really slowly. It is filled with beautiful descriptions of nature which to me was the most enjoyable part of the book. It covers a lot of hard and heavy subjects but I love how it mixed everything up with the description of nature around the characters. Sufficient Grace is not an easy book to go through, through it slowness and hard, depressing things it covers, but I definitely recommend picking it up.
August 14, 2018
While this was a slow burn to start, the suspense was almost more than I could bear for the last 20% or so of the novel. Ruth’s commentary and thoughts relating to religion, nature, animals and everything between could feel distracting or cumbersome at times but after finishing the book, I do think it helped to put the reader in her head and heart. Beautiful writing, important themes but dark and heavy (which I love, but not for everyone). Lots to talk about with this one.
August 21, 2020
tense and also dense... quite good but I reckon if there had been space for the impact of the terrible things it would have really gripped me
February 16, 2017
I enjoyed the first half of this book - how it sets up the world of the religious community, introduces all the characters etc etc and it has an underlying darkness to it that I was kinda into.
Then, it all went downhill for me. The inevitable sexual abuse felt like a plot device rather than an actual harrowing thing, and all the stuff surrounding it just felt overblown and melodramatic. I had zoned out long before the end. I did enjoy the writing style and there were some lovely sections but it didn't really sustain it in anyway.
Also, they eat a lot of meat here, this is not the kinda community I'm joining,
Then, it all went downhill for me. The inevitable sexual abuse felt like a plot device rather than an actual harrowing thing, and all the stuff surrounding it just felt overblown and melodramatic. I had zoned out long before the end. I did enjoy the writing style and there were some lovely sections but it didn't really sustain it in anyway.
Also, they eat a lot of meat here, this is not the kinda community I'm joining,
September 30, 2013
A dark and disturbing tale of family secrets, incest, misogyny and murder. What made it more disturbing for me was the author chose to use the spiritual context of a rural pentecostal church congregation, led and controlled by the eldest brother of 3. She chose to use language and traditional beliefs of Pentecostal Christians in a way that made a non-church person link the darkness of incest and misogyny with the church practices and traditions. I didn't feel very uplifted by the story. It was probably not designed for that purpose.
August 16, 2014
A disappointment for me! I had waited for the library to buy this book! I started the book with ernest and slowly felt the life drain oit of me.Such a hard book to truly digest and immerse yourself in.The language often overused and flowery. It did become a battle of will to finish it I did towards the end skim read.
The author for me made it heavy going over focusing on terminology.I didn't identify with any of the characters. Not my most enjoyable read at all
The author for me made it heavy going over focusing on terminology.I didn't identify with any of the characters. Not my most enjoyable read at all
January 23, 2019
This book will stay with me for a long time and I'm really glad this was in my Mothbox, because I don't think I would've picked it up (any time soon) otherwise.
I need to gather my thoughts on this one for a little while before I write my review and I'm also unsure about my rating yet. But I will tell you that this is hauntingly beautiful.
I need to gather my thoughts on this one for a little while before I write my review and I'm also unsure about my rating yet. But I will tell you that this is hauntingly beautiful.
November 27, 2017
Just could not get into this. I found it so boring until the last few chapters. Then it was macabre and depressing. The description of every leaf and bird sapped my will to live. A few descriptive paragraphs are perfect. Whole pages devoted to one caterpillar bore me silly. I learned to skip whole swathes of writing in order to reach the end - phew! If this is religion, bring on the atheists ..
September 24, 2013
This is a beautiful book - one of the best books I've read in some time. So full of heart and complexity, it breaks your heart and fills it with gratitude in the one moment. Such beautiful writing - this one stayed with me.
March 14, 2013
Well written and very moving coming of age story of a girl being brought up in a small remote religious community.
March 29, 2016
I did not finish this book as I could not get interested in it at all. Our book club had a mixed result, only one person truly enjoyed it.
dnf
July 26, 2023The writing in this is amazing, but I opted to stop mentally torturing myself via religious trauma (lmao) and just DNF this one.
January 5, 2014
Beautiful, brutal, devastating, brilliant.
February 16, 2020
This was such an upsetting book in so many ways. It was well-written and really got under my skin. Based on the dedication, acknowledgements, and author description I’m wondering if some of this story is based on fact. For the author’s sake, I really hope it wasn’t. The book started off innocently enough, but as each page went by the story became more and more disturbing. Nothing was too graphic, for which I’m thankful for, but the thought of all this happening was awful enough.
I loved having Ruth as our narrator. She was very naive, odd, and sheltered, but she has such a unique voice. My favorite scenes were when she talked in metaphors and saw other characters as angels. Those scenes were dark and beautiful; a perfect mixture of innocence and macabre. It was also very interesting to be in Ruth’s head since she has clearly been indoctrinated. The way she processed her trauma was heartbreaking but very believable. I want to believe that things will get better for her, but when the book ends it seems like she will continue to suffer injustices even though .
I don’t know if I’ll ever re-read this. I loved it, but it very upsetting and hard to read. The only reason I’m giving this 4 stars instead of 5 is because I wish the conclusion was a bit longer. This book dealt with very heavy themes and I would have liked to see more of the aftermath, though I think the themes were mostly dealt with well. I’m sure this book will stay with me for a while.
I loved having Ruth as our narrator. She was very naive, odd, and sheltered, but she has such a unique voice. My favorite scenes were when she talked in metaphors and saw other characters as angels. Those scenes were dark and beautiful; a perfect mixture of innocence and macabre. It was also very interesting to be in Ruth’s head since she has clearly been indoctrinated. The way she processed her trauma was heartbreaking but very believable. I want to believe that things will get better for her, but when the book ends it seems like she will continue to suffer injustices even though .
I don’t know if I’ll ever re-read this. I loved it, but it very upsetting and hard to read. The only reason I’m giving this 4 stars instead of 5 is because I wish the conclusion was a bit longer. This book dealt with very heavy themes and I would have liked to see more of the aftermath, though I think the themes were mostly dealt with well. I’m sure this book will stay with me for a while.
January 20, 2018
Another book I've had on my shelf for ages and I wish I'd got round to before. I knew I would like it- young female character lives in a religious community in the snow covered wilderness; these are all things I love!
I really liked the writing, it was quite gentle and fitted the voice of the central protagonist Ruth really well. Horrible scenes are described in such a matter of fact way the reader is left feeling shocked but the narrator is evidently not shocked-this is how she lives. The scenes of animal hunting and butchery are pretty intense from the first few pages onward but this is also a warning to the reader that cruelty of many kinds is treated very casually by the characters in this novel.
Images of blood and suffering are repeatedly compared to the suffering of Christ. A very particular brand of Christianity pervades the novel. I believe they are Pentecostals. Anything can be overlooked as long as you stay with God.Speaking in tongues and conversing with God stand in contrast to the keeping of terrible human secrets.
I loved the cold and snow, the atmosphere was created so well it made me shiver in my warm sitting room,I felt the cold intensified the sense of isolation of these families. They are physically separated by snow and icy roads and socially separated by their religious beliefs. There is a very strong sense of what is "us " and "not us " in this novel.
I also enjoyed the female relationships in this novel, most especially between Ruth and Naomi which transcends all of the events that befall them.
This was a great read and I loved it. A solid 5* read .
I really liked the writing, it was quite gentle and fitted the voice of the central protagonist Ruth really well. Horrible scenes are described in such a matter of fact way the reader is left feeling shocked but the narrator is evidently not shocked-this is how she lives. The scenes of animal hunting and butchery are pretty intense from the first few pages onward but this is also a warning to the reader that cruelty of many kinds is treated very casually by the characters in this novel.
Images of blood and suffering are repeatedly compared to the suffering of Christ. A very particular brand of Christianity pervades the novel. I believe they are Pentecostals. Anything can be overlooked as long as you stay with God.Speaking in tongues and conversing with God stand in contrast to the keeping of terrible human secrets.
I loved the cold and snow, the atmosphere was created so well it made me shiver in my warm sitting room,I felt the cold intensified the sense of isolation of these families. They are physically separated by snow and icy roads and socially separated by their religious beliefs. There is a very strong sense of what is "us " and "not us " in this novel.
I also enjoyed the female relationships in this novel, most especially between Ruth and Naomi which transcends all of the events that befall them.
This was a great read and I loved it. A solid 5* read .
May 6, 2023
It's bright, clear and cold here in Bendigo for the BWF, and I have just enough time before breakfast to tell you about the book I finished reading last night. It's Sufficient Grace by Amy Espeseth, and I have had it on the TBR since I went to a Debut Authors reading event at the Wheeler Centre, back in 2012.
It was a reading that made us sit up and take notice, and I don't imagine anyone was much surprised when the novel went on to be shortlisted for the 2014 Barbara Jefferis Award. But I still didn't take the book off the shelf and read it because I was a bit put off by the excerpt that Amy had read. The novel begins with a hunting scene in the harsh winter in Wisconsin. It was such vivid writing that I couldn't get it out of my head... which is what you want, but not about deer hunting!
Especially when it seems that this violent scene is a portent.
TO read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2023/05/07/s...
It was a reading that made us sit up and take notice, and I don't imagine anyone was much surprised when the novel went on to be shortlisted for the 2014 Barbara Jefferis Award. But I still didn't take the book off the shelf and read it because I was a bit put off by the excerpt that Amy had read. The novel begins with a hunting scene in the harsh winter in Wisconsin. It was such vivid writing that I couldn't get it out of my head... which is what you want, but not about deer hunting!
Especially when it seems that this violent scene is a portent.
TO read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2023/05/07/s...
July 6, 2017
Initially I wasn't sure about this book. The references to nature were a bit too much for me until I was slowly pulled into the poetic writing. This has now become one of my favourite books. Espeseth's emphasis on nature and family and the impact they have on rural life is relatable to many people who grew up in rural America, where family and community, especially the church community, are above all else. Of course the story line was dark, but I really savoured the metaphorical way she spoke about each situation. The biblical references made each statement powerful, even though I am no longer religious.
Overall, I will recommend this to nearly everyone. I'm actually buying this book from the library so I can keep it as one that I read over and over.
Overall, I will recommend this to nearly everyone. I'm actually buying this book from the library so I can keep it as one that I read over and over.
March 13, 2022
This book came together right at the end, when the title made perfect sense... amazing grace!
Ruth and her family have not received an amazing amount of grace from their Lord, just a sufficient amount.
Sufficient Grace is about Ruth, a young girl growing up in rural Wisconsin as part of an isolated religious community.
Her and her best friend Naomi (who might as well just be her sister), traverse the cruel landscape of guilt, secrets and unspoken traditions - but who will fall through the ice and who will survive? Is family sacred, safe?
Is blood really thinker than water?
Ruth and her family have not received an amazing amount of grace from their Lord, just a sufficient amount.
Sufficient Grace is about Ruth, a young girl growing up in rural Wisconsin as part of an isolated religious community.
Her and her best friend Naomi (who might as well just be her sister), traverse the cruel landscape of guilt, secrets and unspoken traditions - but who will fall through the ice and who will survive? Is family sacred, safe?
Is blood really thinker than water?
June 18, 2017
This is the kind of book that's starting to become my favorite kind of book. Haunting, poetic, isolating, and suspenseful, but not it a way that's really plot heavy. This is not a thinker. This book is pure grit and atmosphere. The suspense comes from the quiet gnawing dwelling that the story is going somewhere unpleasant, but at the same time having no idea where or what that is exactly. I love books about religion and nature. Great read!
November 16, 2022
I really did not enjoy this book. This is the story of Ruth growing up in a stifling isolated religious community. There was always a feeling of foreboding leading up to the relevation of Ruth's friend Naomi's 'terrible secret'. The book left me with a queasy feeling, especially what happened in the loft. Yes there is some lovely writing about the natural environment but it did not overcome the awful events in the book.
May 11, 2017
4.5 stars
April 30, 2025
some beautiful writing about nature, but overall it was a bit of a slog
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