It has been ages since I have found a book this readable that touches me so deeply. Labor Day is a coming-of-age story in an unlikely set of circumstances. Henry and Adele, a son and mother, take in an escaped convict, and learn what it is to love. While it isn’t as quick a lesson for Henry as it is for Adele, it is masterfully told and the time spent reading the novel goes quickly.

It isn’t often that I finish a book, close it, and hold it to my chest in a loving embrace, but this was one for me. The lessons of love, forgiveness, peace and patience are powerful, but the voice given to Henry, both as an adolescent and as an adult, has a strong resonance with every believer in what love is.

Fool is a terrific read, coming from one of the writers I most respect for his ability to tackle any and all topics. Between his exploration of Christ in the missing years, and a retelling of King Lear through his fool, my respect is exponential for this author.

I feel like a weak reader when faced with the complexity of Shakespeare’s plots, but Moore was able to pull me into the story time and time again with the fresh humor. I’m even a bit tempted to go back to the master to try Lear again (I’ve never yet succeeded on this mission), but I think I’ll wait until Pocket’s voice has been cleared from my head.

Voice… Moore has again created a character I absolutely love. The fool is everything a fool should be, fresh, witty, intelligent, and a truth-teller. I am drawn to him, too, because of his uncertainty of his background. He feels lost in the world, and so skips from connection to connection, trying to find a home, even though he would likely never admit this weakness.

Bravo, Mr. Moore. Once again, you get a standing ovation from this reader.

Hayden has devised a new rating system for how he feels about us as parents; by awarding us “awesomes”. I’m still trying to work out the exact mechanism but it seems that at any time we can have somewhere between zero and two awesomes. The happier he is with us the more awesomes we are awarded.

Currently I stand at one awesome with no modifiers. The modifiers seem to come into play when he’s recently become favorable but may still be mad from something earlier. For example last weekend I had one awesome and one thumbs down.

We’ve been a bit negligent with posting here of late, so I understand if I’ve earned a thumbs down or two, hopefully some pictures of what we’ve missed will earn an awesome.

Click for Slideshow

This is a spectacularly written book, focusing on the lives of three primary characters. While the characters might never all be in a scene at one time, nonetheless, they are all entwined with one another. M

My only complaint, and I’m not sure it’s valid as a complaint, is the amount of the book that is delivered to the reader before I can see any of the connections between the characters. And even after finishing it, I am wondering if I go back and reread it, will I see the connections as I do now (a bit too late, a bit too topical for the amount of time I’ve invested in the book)? Or will I catch glimpses, hints and shadows of the connections that I wasn’t careful enough to see the first time through?

Either way, Chaon is able to piece together a complex story about identity. One which deserves to be cherished… especially in how modern an exploration it is on what identity is. Await Your Reply includes references to many aspects of identity is today… they may be superficial to some readers (such as hair color and facebook) but it created a world more real and encompassing to this reader.