Sometimes, books reach out and grab you in way that makes you feel as if they are a part of you. Even more rarely, characters do the same, and by the end of the book you feel that if you met that person, your souls would practically be in tune with each other.
I can remember the first time this really happened to me--it was Emily, of the 'Emily of New Moon" series by L.M. Montgomery (of "Anne of Green Gables" fame). Although I love the Anne books, Emily seemed like such a kindred spirit (to borrow an Anne phrase) that I felt like somehow L.M. Montgomery had read my mind and written a book just for me.
It's been a while since I've read a book that has had this impact on me (other characters I feel this connection to include Jane Eyre), but having just finished "On Agate Hill" by Lee Smith, I can add Molly Petree Jarvis to the group.
I picked up 'On Agate Hill" because Lee Smith lives in Hillsborough, 10 miles from where I went to college, and I was admittedly feeling homesick, but also because I had read her most recent book of short stories last summer and enjoyed it.
Molly Petree is such a fiery, distinct, independent character, that I truly wish I could know her. I've been really down lately, between being homesick, struggling at my job (which is still part-time, so I've taken on another job at a daycare, which is causing me to question my skills as a potential future parent), and just general growing pains (I'm an adult? When the heck did this happen?), so connecting with such a fierce spirit as Molly Petree was just what I needed.
I know that to some people this may sound strange--it's just fiction, right?--but I've always found solace in fictional characters, settings, and situations. For those of you like me, I heartily recommend "On Agate Hill".
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