A man can know his father, or his son, and there might still be nothing between them but loyalty and love and mutual incomprehension. 
 What a beautiful little book. You feel as though you have been plucked from your own home and placed into John's life, and you feel very fortunate to be allowed the opportunity to witness a glimpse of him and his small family. You're the witness to a man simply writing letters to his son before his death, but such a simple act can carry a lot of weight. 
 The narrative is strong, despite the actual story being a bit all over the place. This is to be expected, of course, given the epistolary style. Gilead was a book that I can't wait to delve back into again!