Following the success of his 2003 short story collection Crow Man, Tom Bailey has written a deeply moving novel in The Grace That Keeps This World. It’s a story about fathers and sons, financial strains, and the strife of family beliefs grating against personal beliefs told through many points-of-view. The story opens up with Susan Hazen recollecting a tragic day, then bounces back around between her and husband Gary Hazen (a strongly principled hunter and Vietnam veteran), Officer Roy, the old game warden Brad Pfeiffer, their sons, Kevin and Gary David, Father Anthony, and several others. From the mouth of Gary Hazen:

“It’s irresponsible, Kevin,’ I say, raising my voice to him. I’ve brought up both my boys like I’ve managed to train every dog I’ve ever owned – with a biscuit in one hand and a switch in the other. – and I’m burning now to smack this son of mine with the lesson of what he knows is right. “If you’d have been here when you said you would, we’d all ready be done with this job. We’d be on our way home. I shouldn’t have to remind you that it’s going to snow soon. Your brother and I have been out here since dawn. I’m not a betting man, but if I were I’d be willing to wager ten to your one you’ve been with Jeanie all day. ‘What do you have to say for yourself?’

Kevin stops as if my voice has yanked him up short, as if he’s hit the end of the length of leash that connects us. He whirls to face me at the question. Obviously, he does have something to say, beyond the expected excuse of school for where he’s been and the reason that he had to study for being late that he’s offered to me, and his slipping on the slicks of those silly loafers and falling on his butt has gotten him worked up enough to say it.”

Overall, The Grace That Keeps This World is a good story with crisp writing and characters that ring true, but the multiple point-of-view shifts just don’t work for me as a literary device.