Doug Thayer’s new book, Will
Wonders Never Cease: A Hopeful Novel for Mormon Mothers and Their Teenage Sons,
tells the story of Kyle Hooper, a go-with-the-flow teenager with a penchant for
writing and a remarkably lucid sense of self. The book is a modern retelling of
the story of Alma the Younger, as Kyle is struck by an avalanche (just as Alma
is struck by an angel) and as his confrontation with despair causes him to
contemplate his life choices.
Thayer's book
exhibits a profoundly Mormon anxiety on every page: the question, “How do I get
my kid to choose the right?” and its haunting shadow, “If my kid chooses the
wrong, is it my fault?” Through Kyle’s inner monologue, the reader meets Kyle’s
mother, Lucille, a woman who clearly wants her son to live righteously, but who
parents him in a non-traditional, laissez-faire way, using sarcasm and candor
where Victorian parents would probably use restraint and subtext.
Does this
book teach “the right way to parent”? Lucille seems at first to be the master
parent, but Kyle’s narrative quickly shows that she is haphazard and frantic,
probably doing parenting by the seat of her pants, and much less self-possessed
than she appears. Moreover, the subtitle of the novel is not “How Mormon
Mothers Should Teach Their Teenage Sons” but “A Hopeful Novel,” which suggests
that this is only meant to be an example of parenting working out, not a
paragon of how it has to happen.
What I find
more interesting is the subtextual moral of this book, which is that human
beings need to have avalanches dropped on them before they take anything
seriously. Are we really that obtuse that we can’t actually choose
righteousness until death is right in front of us? I would take offense at
this, except that I was exactly the same way when I was a teenager, and honestly,
am often just as oblivious now. If there is anything positive to get out of
this book, I think it must be this message: Wake up, and don’t make God send
you an avalanche before you get smart about life.
I really liked your comments on parenthood in the novel, but your last paragraph really stood out to me. A lot of times, we think we're Nephis and Sams, but really we're more like Lamans and Lameuls. We're oblivious to our own murmurers and our own disregarding of "angels."
ReplyDeleteI think you said exactly what I needed to have told to me: now I see it's as if I've been asking for an avalanche lately and this semester has certainly been a lot of snow piling up over me. I really like your perspective on the moral of this book, that was really insightful. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI think the parts about Lucille were my favorite parts of this book. Obviousky, Kyle doesn't understand or appreciate her much at the beginning of the book, but that changes a bit by the end. It's amazing and artful how well we get to know Lucille even through her son's head. I think Doug Thayer deserves a round of applause for making that work even in a stream of consciousness book.
ReplyDeleteThe Alma the Younger comparison really resonated with me as well. I also liked your last thought about reflecting on your own life and trying to avoid the need of an avalanche.
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