AFG: What do you make of the apparent brushes with God

The apparent brushes with God were moments of comfort and grace which each individual needed at that particular moment in their life. Clara had just been “murdered” by CC’s derogatory words about her art, so Clara’s confidence in herself was bolstered with “God” telling her that her art was good. Em’s despair at the death of her husband and son disappeared and she had hope from a road worker with a sign that read “Ice Ahead.” Gamache found his murderer and tenderness and love directed at him by a fisherman eating lemon meringue pie. Is this where his love for lemon meringue pie comes from? Comfort and love from a memory.

I find it an interesting subtext of the story, in part because spirituality and belief in God are often omitted or avoided. These are not the only examples of spirituality or religion in AFG. Others include Armand’s conversation with the parish priest who chides Armand about failing to attend mass except on Christmas and Bea’s meditation practices. Even Jean-Guy sees Armand reading the Bible at his bedside as potentially a statement about his spiritual life. So, it appears to be a human and shared experience, at least for most of the people in AFG.

One does not need to be a devout practitioner of any specific religious tradition to believe in or sense a Divine Reality, be whatever name one might call that. As Nancy mentions, in each of these instances, Armand, Em and Clara were more vulnerable, maybe more open to considering something they could not precisely explain but nonetheless felt.

I have a sort of tale of divine intervention. It occurred many years ago when I was driving in Boston on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. I was trying to leave the Faneuil Hall area to return to the suburbs. I made a wrong turn and was on the road, with no exit, to the tunnel to Logan Airport. I instinctively pulled to the side of the road. From no place I could see, a gentleman with what looked like a crossing guard’s sign, emerged, stopped the oncoming traffic and directed me to make a U-turn. To this day. I have no explanation except divine intervention.

Can anyone remind me about Billy Williams in relation to God in the book? I seem to have missed that passage. Call it “kismet” or “the right moment at the right time” I think these coincidental encounters (or encounters with God for those who are spiritual) make a strong impression on the characters because their minds are focused on their confused or painful feelings in those moments so are open to divine intervention – just as Nancy points out. I’m not sure Gamache would find God in pie if he was simply enjoying a Saturday and didn’t have a murder to solve. Perhaps the same goes for Clara who is upset by CC’s fake / hurtful exchange on the escalators. But it’s their belief that these moments are signs that provides them comfort. For me Emilie’s is the strongest of the three because she is having the deepest “dark night of the soul”. When I read it I could believe hers, if that makes sense.

PS I think you are onto something Nancy – perhaps this is the moment that creates Gamache’s devotion to lemon meringue pie!