Have you ever felt drawn to a book? That's how I felt when I heard that Richard Ford's final book in the Frank Bascombe series was coming out. It's called Lay of the Land and it chronicles the final stage of Bascombe's life (his "Permanent Period"), much life The Sportswriter chronicled his younger years (his mid-twenties), and Independence Day chronicled his middle age years (his "Existence Period"). I don't find this series easy to read. It's full of deep introspective narrative, from Bascombe's point of view, and I often have to pause for a moment to understand the character and his observations about life. Ford wrote this series over twenty five years and he said something that nailed what I think about when I read these novels regarding the progression of the Bascombe character:
"But when I went back later and read parts of The Sportswriter, I found that the sentences Frank 'spoke' and that filled that second book were longer, more complex, and actually contained more nitty experience than the first book. This has also been true of The Lay of the Land: longer sentences, more experience to reconcile and transact, more words required to make lived life seem accessible."
I love the fact that fiction can be that deep. At times, I feel more like I'm reading a social commentary through the eyes of a common man--one who has experienced many of the heartaches that is common to us all; death of loved ones, the crumbling of a marriage, dreams that died hard, children who don't fully understand us, multiple job changes, and loneliness.
The funny thing is, Bascombe has a considerably different worldview than I do, but I identify with his humanity in a way that is hard to describe. I just know that as I cracked open the final book in this series a couple of days ago, I did so with a sense of dread. I feel like I learn more about myself as I enter Bascombe's head, so when this volume is done, I won't have that exact same opportunity again.
Of course, I could always re-read the series, and I might do that at some point in my life, but I already have so many other books that I want to read that I don't see it happening for quite some time. Instead, I think I'll just savor this last morsel of literary genius.
