* Copy courtesy of Pan Macmillan *
Life, and Death, and Giants by Ron Rindo is simply sublime and it's a definite contender for My Top 5 Books of 2025.
A young woman shunned by her Amish community in the small rural town of Lakota Wisconsin refuses medical help and manages to give birth to a baby weighing 18 pounds thanks to the help of the local vet.
We watch this strange boy Gabriel Fisher grow up through the eyes of various characters including Thomas the vet who delivered him, his Amish grandmother Hannah and several others on the periphery of his life.
Astonishingly, Gabriel Fisher walks at the age of eight months and it's clear he's been a gifted young boy since birth.
"He's good at a lot of things. Animals love him, and he cares for them with uncommon understanding. At the rate he's growing, he's going to be bigger than two normal men and stronger than any three. God has given him many gifts. How can we be sure of His intentions so soon, when the boy is only ten years old?" Page 96Each of these characters witnessing or participating in Gabriel's childhood and coming of age has their own interesting back story. I also loved the myriad practical ways they helped accommodate Gabriel's increasing size.
The Amish way of life in the novel reminded me of the shunning of Kai Proctor and later his niece Rebecca in the TV show Banshee which I highly recommend. A gentle people, they want Gabriel to continue living on their farm and participating in their community but his size soon attracts unwanted attention and Gabriel's life as he knows it is challenged by those who want to see him succeed in a different way.
Gabriel's gentle nature and amazing gift with animals reminded me of John Coffey in The Green Mile by Stephen King (highly recommend the book and the movie), not only due to his size but the fact that he was special and had a unique gift.
The writing in this was magnificent and I was deeply moved by the ending, especially when I understood the significance of the feathers on the cover. I don't want to mention much more than this as it's a story best entered into without any prior knowledge but I came to care very much for Gabriel and I was touched by the back stories and character growth within the novel.
Life, and Death, and Giants by Ron Rindo is entirely unforgettable and highly recommended!
