Philip Gulley: "Indiana's Garrison Keillor"

Circumstances placed the first three novels by Philip Gulley in my path this weekend, so I gave them a whirl--and though my ultimate reaction was mixed, things got off to a good start with Home to Harmony, which is narrated by Sam Gardner as he returns to his hometown to take over ministerial duties at the local Friends Meeting. In twenty-four short chapters, he introduces us to various residents of Harmony, but periodically slipping the yoke of first-person narration to delve into their thoughts, feelings, and history, perhaps a bit like the Stage Manager of Our Town. It's a nifty touch that actually makes certain characters a bit more sympathetic, as we encounter town busybodies though the eyes of a man doing his best to find the good in them.

In the next book, Just Shy of Harmony, however, Gulley switches to a third-person omniscient narration that also frequently shifts from past to present tense, and a bit of the personal touch is lost in the process. Not all of it; there's still the occasional "stage manager's" glimpse into characters' inner thoughts, after all, only now it comes from out of thin air rather than from someone who's lived most of his life around these people. This "more objective" perspective does free up Gulley to delve even deeper into the lives of other characters, but it also ultimately makes the less sympathetic characters, well, less sympathetic.

Part of the rationale for this shift may have been the crisis of faith Sam experiences in this novel. It--and his growing frustration with his flock--are treated less directly than they would be were he speaking directly to readers. It's an effective way, I suppose, to deflect some of the negativity that arises from the thoughts that prey on his mind. But without his gentle reminders that the members of his Meeting are, after all, only struggling to find their own relationship with God, it becomes harder and harder to get past the first impression certain characters create of being self-centered, intolerant jerks; they become, to some degree, foils for Sam and the handful of folks in Harmony who see things his way.

The trend continues in Signs and Wonders, and folks like Dale Hinshaw and Fern Hampton would become totally insufferable save that by then Gulley's lured readers into sticking around to see what happens to the other characters, the ones who have caught our sympathy. (Heck, I'm a bit frustrated that he apparently lost interest in Paul and Judy, who adopted twin Chinese daughters that became like granddaughters to Frank, Sam's otherwise gruff assistant at the Meeting House...yes, I am a sucker for series fiction, why do you ask?) And, too, I'm intriuged by the issues raised by Gulley's condensing of the tensions between conservative and liberal faithful in modern American Christianity into the relationship between one pastor and his congregation. The story no doubt resonates more directly with readers closer to Harmony's midwestern setting (kept purposefully vague, but probably in Indiana), but it holds a certain fascination for me, since my impression of the Friends is drawn entirely from "big city" Meetings where things are run much differently.

I found a recent interview Gulley did with the Indianapolis Star earlier this month while promoting the latest Harmony story, Life Goes On, which does appear to hand narration duties back to Sam. It would be interesting to see whether the series regains some steam as a result. Sam is by and large a likable guy, and though the smalltown charm may drive some readers batty, plenty more seem to be finding something in his--and the other Harmony residents'--tales that speaks to their lives.