Life, and Death, and Giants by Ron Rindo – Our Review

Our Review… Life, and Death, and Giants is one of those rare books that touches your soul from the very outset. It tells the unforgettable story of Gabriel Fisher born a beautiful, gentle, unmarried Amish mother who quietly dies after giving birth with the help of a local veterinarian.  From the start, Gabriel unlike anyone else. He walks at eight months, has an extraordinary way with animals, and an incredible sporting ability that’s off the charts. Initially raised by his beloved older brother, Gabriel is later taken in by his devout Amish grandparents after his brother’s death. Although they try to protect and secret him away from the “English” world, his size – nearly eight feet tall by the time he’s seventeen, makes that impossible. When his gift for sports is discovered by the local football coach, Trey Beathard who becomes a mentor, Gabriel’s life begins to stretch beyond the quiet fields and insular rhythms of Amish life. What I find especially unique is how the novel isn’t told from Gabriel’s point of view, but through the voices of four very different people whose lives he touches: Hannah Fisher, his grandmother whose faith is quietly troubled by grief and secrecy; Thomas Kennedy, the brusque veterinarian who delivers him and becomes something of a father figure; Billy Walton, the bar owner who acts as a bridge between the Amish and English communities; and Trey Beathard, the coach who sees Gabriel’s potential and struggles to guide him as life changes. Through them, Gabriel’s world is experienced from many angles -the secular Amish faith, fear of rejection, community and dreams. The prose in this book is warm, generous, and quietly powerful. It lets the small, miraculous moments breathe… the stars over a field, Gabriel’s communion with animals, the hush of Amish rituals and sense of setting is outstanding: the rural Wisconsin landscape is breathtaking.   Throughout the novel, there is sorrow, exclusion, pain, but also an underlying deep goodness, humility, and love. If you enjoy characters who are deeply human in all their faults and strengths, and a narrative that lingers after you’ve finished, this is a book you must read. It’s rare, it’s beautiful, and it’s one that will stay with you for a long time. Review by Nicole @ Great Escape Books