In this review we will consider the book by Frederick Buechner, The Son of Laughter.  What will follow is a brief description of the work, something about the author and an appraisal.  In the process, we will look at the character, theme, and the setting for the story.  Lastly we will get a sense of the purpose for it’s writing and share some evidence to support the review of the book.

     The book, Son of Laughter, is a fictional book about the life and history of  Jacob and the children of Israel.  The book is short of three hundred pages and rich in putting real flesh and bone to characters in the biblical account.  It follows through time Abraham and his descendants who are living life, while holding onto the promises of God.  As in the biblical story, the people are not perfect.  The author, through his writing brings to life the people with their passions, faults, and frailties.  He colors between the lines, not just with the richness of various colors but with the layers and textures of lives interwoven together in time and space.

     The book is divided into two sections, section one being about the promise and section two about the dreams.  The story begins with the burying of the various gods that they would hold onto at times, and put away at others.  It continues on finally into the land of Goshen, and the dreamer, Joseph.

     A key to better understanding this book, would be to know a little something of the author.  Frederick Buechner is both writer and minister. He has written both fictional novels, non-fiction and short essays.  His first book was published in 1950, and his last published book being 2001.  In Seminary he studied under Reinhold Neibur, Paul Tillich, and James Muilenburg.  He counts many great authors as inspiration.  Much seems to have contributed to his development as a writer, his family background, his military experience in the second world war, his immediate family, etc.  But to get a glimpse into what makes him tick as a writer of this genre type, we might consider what he has said in various writings or interviews.  From an essay on faith and fiction from his book, Now and then, we find what might be the heart of his message.  He says,

Listen for your life.  See it for the fathomless mystery that it is.  In the boredom and pain of it no less than in the excitement and gladness:touch, taste, smell your way to the Holy and the heart of it because in the last analysis all moments are key moments, and life itself is grace.  In another quote he states,compassion is sometimes the fatal capacity for feeling what it is like to live inside somebody else’s skin.  It is the knowledge that there can never really be any peace and joy for me until there is peace and joy finally for you too. 

     I would say that these quotes sum up what drives him as an author.  His writing would draw us into the touch, and smell aspects of life.  In addition through his writing, particularly this one, we can see the compassion to live inside someone else’s skin.  In this book we see real people with real problems, who try to follow God in spite of their brokenness.

     As we read the book it is obvious that the characters are drawn from the bible.  This is where they and their actions are recorded.  What is unique is the way that the author uses history, archeology, and knowledge of the cultures to add depth to the people the he writes about.

     In Jacob, the son of Isaac or laughter we see flesh and blood portrayed by the author.  This not only occurs with Jacob, but with all the characters down to the camels.  We see them as people in all dimensions.  As we ead through the author’s account of the story we see themes woven throughout.  In the grand scheme we can see a relationship between God or “the fear”, and man.  At times we see the interaction between the two, and at others there is a distance seen between them.

     This is the backdrop, but in the silence, the story would make one think that the distance is because of man, not God.  The storms of life as well as in the every day, occur as this relationship continues with the people holding onto the promise from generation to generation.  The day in which the characters find themselves is difficult for us to grasp. But the author, with the resources available to him brings us not only into Old Testament times, but into the lives of nomadic desert people and their agricultural lifestyle.  Though this is what is going on in the background, the author brings to life the people in such a way that we can see ourselves.  We can see our own emotions and frailties.  The significance for us today as post resurrection Christians is still relevant.

     As a reviewer of this book, I would say that the purpose was to bring these characters to life.  The good, the bad, and the ugly.  Though the characters are all this and more, God remains steadfast in his love and mercy towards them through generations.  Based upon this, I would conclude that Mr. Buechner definitely achieved his goal.

Picture: Frederick Buechner