I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger

 genre: speculative fiction

Rainy's world is a bleak one. With an economy that's plummeted to near barter-levels and warming temperatures that are wreaking havoc on Lake Superior, there are few things left to live for. But Rainy DOES have things to live for: his beloved wife Lark, his bass guitar, and a solid place in his town and community. When a stranger arrives one day, Lark's big heart convinces Rainy to give him shelter for a while - but this choice is going to pivot Rainy's life and force him to find out where safety can really exist and who is worth holding on to.

The only reason I tried this book is because I genuinely loved this author's previous novel Peace Like a River.  I didn't know a single thing about it when I started and though it took me a few chapters to get my bearings, soon I was hooked.  This is a story with so much sorrow.  The joy is fleeting - but it is there.  It's found in the most surprising of places and while much of the plot takes place in a small boat on a big lake, it is much more than that.  It's fear and rage and absolute unfairness and a breakdown of the usual moral systems.  It is letting your heart open just enough to let one single person in when it feels like the least smart thing to do.  It's about wide open skies and the written word and letting go of the things we can't hold on to.

It is beautifully written and truly heartfelt.  There is true darkness here but our Rainy always manages to find the light.