So, what happened this summer? Joy Clarkson, Sally Clarkson's daughter, had posted on her podcast that she wanted to do A Wrinkle in Time for her summer book club. CoVid 19 had impressed on her the need to pick something a little easier to read than her previous picks and a little more uplifting.
Well, I jumped on this. Uplifting is something I needed at that moment in time. I took it on a short weekend trip and read the first five chapters. And now I know why it is a class.
I have come to appreciate the beauty in this tale from 1963. It is a coming of age story and a science fiction story rolled into one. Let's begin our journey...
Meg and her little brother, Charles, wonder what has happened to their father, a scientist working for the government who has been missing for several years. When a strange old lady shows up at their door, the adventure to find him begins. The old lady and two more of her odd friends lead them out of the universe into the worlds of some strange planets that are under the influence of the horrible, shadowy IT.
Meg, an awkward and insecure girl, finds the courage and resourcefulness to overcome IT and save her father and brother. She also learns about the importance of family and love. One minute she's on the brink of death under the grip of IT, and the next, she's ready to face IT because she knows that it's something only she can do.
There is a small cast of side characters. Charles Wallace for one. It's not very clear why little Charles, who has the vocabulary of a Harvard graduate, is so special. But he is special. Calvin is another notable character in the book. He seems to genuinely like Meg for who she is. Meg, of course, has a hard time getting her head around that fact in the beginning.
Throughout the story there are references to Christianity: quotes from scripture, mention of angels, and the idea that God is in charge of everything. This gives the story a "Chronicles of Narnia" kind of feel.
Is this a Christian story? This is open for interpretation. For me, this book has many lessons. First, it is a reminder to say yes to life, to accept responsibility, to be brave even when frightened, not to make decisions based on fear, and to accept people as they are.
It's has beauty. It has truth. It has life in it.
This is the book that many publishers rejected. This is the book that won the Newberry Medal.
It lifts up life.
Borrow a copy from your local library or pull it down off of your shelf. Open it up and read.
Don't wait as long as I did to read it.
And when you do, email me to let me know what a tesseract is.