Master Butcher's Singing Club by Louise Erdrich

September 2013 -- Master Butcher's Singing Club by Louise Erdrich

This character driven novel was filled with really rich characters.  Unfortunately, we all felt that it took quite a while to get into the story because we had so many characters to meet and at the beginning they seemed to be so separate and distinct.  It was not immediately clear how their stories connected, but once the connections began the design of their lives became so intertwined we were amazed.  Erdrich's story was unique and deep.  Each character was likable and yet completely unlikable as the story progressed.  Eva was the only one we all felt was good throughout.  She loved her family and she protected them at all costs.  She reached out to Delphine when she saw her need for family and this connection proved to be the saving grace for all.  The themes of love's complications, of human nature's shortcomings and of even the best people's unfailing ability to betray and "butcher"  were played out in so many ways in the novel through WWI and WWII, through the story lines of a small North Dakota town, and even through the intimate lives of the men and women in the story.  Fidelis loved Eva and yet he was a butcher in the form or a sniper in the war.  Cyprian loved Delphine and yet he was gay and not able to give her the kind of love she craved.  Franz loved Clarisse and yet he was not able to see past her poor family when he deserted her when she needed him most.  Roy loved Step and a Half and yet he could not overcome his alcohol addiction or his small minded feelings of being slighted by others and his desire for revenge.  In the end  it was Step and a Half (who watched from the side lines) who really recognized the black heart of of humans that kept people from truly finding peace and happiness.   The ending really made this book worth reading.  It was a wonderful revelation of purpose by Erdrich.  It left us with a big "Wow!" at the end.