Book Review: The Deep Places

Several years ago, persistent car issues forced me to withdraw from my book club (an hour's drive away). I considered joining a more local book club through the library. Then the pandemic hit and all desire to join in groups disappeared. I've missed the intellectual stimulation of group discussion. One of my library's book clubs announced their scheduled read: The Deep Places by Ross Douthat. The book sounded intriguing (especially since my sister has been dealing with unexplained health issues). Thankfully, it was short, as I only picked up the book two days before the group meeting.

Ross Douthat was about to embark on a new adventure when his life derailed. His family uprooted from their home in Washington, D.C. and moved to a farmhouse in Connecticut. But their visions of gardens and a cozy country life blurred when Ross came down with an inexplicable illness. After many fruitless doctor visits, the diagnosis of Lyme disease seemed the best explanation. His lengthy journey through a disbelieving and ineffective medical establishment pushed him to try his own remedies, as the illness sucked the life from him.

I guess I hoped for more spiritual insights. Suffering opens eyes to things we take for granted and helps us see our lives with fresh perspective. I assumed, given the title, The Deep Places, that the illness would lend spiritual lessons. Alas, it lent more despair than hope, more frustration than redemption. As I closed the book, I considered nixing my plans to attend the meeting. 

I'm so glad I went. What a wonderful bunch of women! We had a lively discussion. They reminded me he ended the book with the positive sentiment that he is still alive, blessing of all blessings. If I were more outdoorsy, the book might have spooked me (especially given our wooded property that often brings deer right up by the house).

Frankly, I'm more fearful of the bobcat we saw in our backyard a while back (not for me, but for my little dog). Of course, the more houses spring up around us, the fewer deer and bobcats we will encounter. We don't plan to tear down our woods, but the wildlife might disappear with all this encroaching. And I have my own deep places, without the bite of a tick.