Tinkers

by Paul Harding

I'm not sure exactly what drew me to pick this book up in the store... I think it was the title that reminded me of the term used to describe Irish gypsies (or travellers). Upon closer examination I quickly learned that the novel has absolutely nothing to do with Ireland, but was intrigued by its status as a Pulitzer Prize winner, and the positive reviews. Tinkers begins by telling the story of an elderly man (George) on his deathbed, hallucinating about and re-living earlier days in his life. Intertwined in the telling of his own story, is that of his father's (Howard) life and struggles. What I really appreciated most about this book was the depth that it offers to George's life. Instead of seeing George simply as an old, sick man, the reader gets to experience his full life and learns to appreciate him in that light. Both men suffer through Howard's epilepsy, which eventually prompts Howard to strike out on his own after causing injury to his son. The story is a telling of their journeys, and encourages the reader to look at life with a different point of view.

Although this book is only about 190 pages, I will say that it took me a couple of weeks to read. I love words. I love how they can be put together to form vibrant images, to describe life from a unique point of view. Harding is a master of this, and his writing definitely leaves an impression. Harding jumps between the two characters' points of view, "excerpts" from The Reasonable Horologist, and third-person storytelling flawlessly. He manages to describe epilleptic seizures in a beautiful and sometimes frightening way. My one complaint is that a single descriptive sentence sometimes runs the entire length of the page. In addition to words, I also love punctuation... and I never realized how much until I read this book, and started looking around for some more periods. For me, it took a greater amount of concentration to make sure that I was truly absorbing the information that I was reading. If you have the time and some extra brain power, Tinkers is definitely worth a read. Although the title Tinkers was selected to describe the two male characters' abilities to break down and repair things, I find that the story is focused on their wanderings and life journey. So maybe my initial impression of the title is fitting after all, viewing the characters as "travellers" through life.

"And as you split frost-laced wood with numb hands, rejoice that your uncertainty is God's will and His grace toward you and that that is beautiful, and part of a greater certainty, as your own father always said in his sermons and to you at home. And as the ax bites into the wood, be comforted in the fact that the ache in your heart and the confusion in your soul means that you are still alive, still human, and still open to the beauty of the world, even though you've done nothing to deserve it." - Paul Harding, Tinkers, p. 72