Witty, wild, wise and wondrous: So Far From God

So Far From God begins quite unconventionally with the death of one of the central characters in its very first sentence. It is an odd place to begin, but odd books need odd beginnings, and So Far From God is among the oddest books that I have had the pleasure of reading. Ana Castillo’s novel is passionate, earthy, tragic and funny all at once, and nigh impossible to put down until the story comes barreling to its surprising conclusion.

So Far From God is the story of a Chicana family in the tiny town of Tome, New Mexico. The matriarch of the family is a woman named Sofi. Abandoned by her husband, Sofi raised her four daughters—- rebellious, intelligent and adventurous Esperanza, romantic Fe, sensitive and loving Caridad, and La Loca, the girl who died in early childhood only to rise from the dead at her own funeral and fly to the roof of the church, and who ever since that day had a curious allergy to other people.

As her children grow into young women, more supernatural events envelope Sofi’s family—- miraculous healings, mysterious ailments, monsters, and ghosts are frequent visitors to the strange little family. Esperanza becomes a journalist and goes off to cover a war, Fe becomes engaged only to have her dreams torn out from under her feet, Caridad is raped and left for dead near the side of a road, and Loca-- simply is Loca. The girls are tossed about in a world not only of horror but also of magic and miracles. But So Far From God is not a tale of the supernatural world playing off passive mortals. In the midst of saints and miracles, tragic deaths and heartache, a moral tale of social action and empowerment emerges as Sofi struggles to help her daughters survive, to help the town of Tome improve itself, and to help herself throw off the stigma of an abandoned woman.

The place that Castillo creates in Tome is a place where disparate worlds mesh together, sometimes yielding conflict and other times yielding a beautiful but strange compromise. Faith exists not only in Catholicism, but also in Native American beliefs and in folklore. American, Latino and Native American cultures and languages flow together. And, in the lives of the central characters, joy and sorrow, and even life and death, exist in a tenuous balance.

Ana Castillo’s writing is a joy to read. Liberally peppered with Spanish phrases and irregular grammar, this is a book that speaks in the reader’s mind with all the appropriate accents and inflections. The characters are complex, strangely believable and memorable, whether they are among the central family or one of the large supporting cast. The characters draw the reader in, and remain vivid even long after the novel is finished.

So Far From God is a thoroughly delightful novel. Witty, wild, wise and wondrous, this is not a book to be missed.