I Take Thee Serenity

Rating:
Summary: A great book about knowing and being yourself.
Review: I first read this book almost 20 years ago, when I was a young person trying to figure out who the real "me" was and how she fit into the world. Even now, with children of my own, I find this book very readable. Serenity Ross is nineteen years old, a college student majoring in elementary ed (but longing to major in art history) who is engaged to be married to Peter Holland, a fellow student who is seeking to better understand the world into which he will become a man. Serenity's parents, middle-aged middle-class suburbanites, hide their true feelings about their daughter's marriage by planning a real dog-and-pony show; but the bride herself feels a yearning for something more meaningful than a big church wedding and country-club reception. This yearning leads her on a weekend visit to Oliver Otis, her father's cousin, and his wife, Daphne, in rural Rhode Island. The visit is only the first step for Serenity on a journey -- of self-discovery, and an exploration of her family's spiritual roots --on which she is joined by Peter and, eventually, her parents as well. The Otises are members of the Society of Friends, better known as the Quakers, and it is their ability to look honestly at life and see the good in it that guides Serenity and Peter on their way. But don't think that these are two-dimensional characters, oozing with saccharine sweetness and dispensing glib advice; Daisy Newman, the author and herself a member of the Society of Friends, draws them with loving but unflinching honesty. Oliver is a bit of a neat freak who likes things to be just so, and Daphne -- left unable to speak by a stroke -- struggles with anger when her eyes and her expressions are not enough to convey her thoughts to those around her. Their relationship with their daughter, Heather, who is married and lives a life of urban sophistication in London, is a lesson in miscommunication, and reminds us that even those we look up to in life are capable of making mistakes and handling things badly. If you know young people who are trying to find and express their genuine selves in this crazy, fast, shallow world, this book is terrific. Heck, if you're no longer young but looking for a good read to remind you that the best things in life are free, you won't go wrong here. (Be aware, however, that one of the issues Serenity and Peter confront is pre-marital sex -- definitely PG rated, no details or graphic descriptions, but it does occur and the question of "Should we, shouldn't we?" is a key component of the theme of the book. Kids 12 and older should be able to handle it very well.)