Lewis and Clark revisited: New Perspectives

John K. writes 

The Apes met Aug 31 to discuss This Vast Enterprise by Craig Fehrman.

Many in the group had read Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose, a pick early in the life of the Apes.  Undaunted Courage had long been cited by many as a group favorite, so it was interesting to hear the take on this new perspective.

Fehrman did a lot of research that was not in Undaunted Courage, some of which happened after the publication of Undaunted.  

The primary deviation was that rather than tell the story of the Corps of Discovery through the eyes of the expedition captains, Lewis and Clark, Fehrman chose to tell the story through multiple perspectives of many others who participated.

Using the journals of those besides the captains who recorded their experiences, letters from many of the members of the Corps, and the oral traditions of several of the indigenous tribes encountered by the Corps, Fehrman expanded the vision of the story, making it more multi-layered and less linear than Undaunted Courage.

Most of the Apes in attendance agreed with the following:

•       Though a fine historian, Fehrman is not the writer that Ambrose was.  Ambrose wrote history like a classic novel, Fehrman is much more a historian, less given to soaring prose.
•       The concept of telling the story through multiple points of view was a real success.  It gave depth and complexity to the story without losing sight of the context of the journey. 
•       There were some places where it was agreed that Fehrman went a little too far in speculation concerning what certain members of the Corps thought or felt.  Not a major criticism but one which was generally agreed upon.

The book really brought to life the many struggles that were contended with by all members of the Corps.  The intense physical and psychological strength that it took from each member to successfully complete the journey was vividly explored.

Additionally, the book did an excellent job of providing context, such as the political difficulties experienced by Jefferson, the three failed Spanish expeditions sent to find and either kill or capture the members of the Corps, the complexity of indigenous politics in all the regions explored, and the many times that one member or another of the Corps simply got lucky.

All in all, a fine book, a solid and creative history and a very good retelling of a cornerstone event in American history.

from Conch to Chaos: Lord of the Flies

 from Glenn

July 27, the Forge. Charlie, Asad, John F, Clark, Mike, Glenn

“Durable,” Mike said, and, yeah, it is. Lord of the Flies by William Golding has sold more than 10 million copies since its 1954 publication and is still taught in many British and American classrooms.

The Apes discussed it during our July meeting and gave it a passing grade. Of course, several of us had read it as youngsters, but we old farts apparently were not as enthralled with it as we might once have been.

Charlie and others had questions about some plot points which were discussed but not fully explained.

The (spoiler alert) rescue at the end struck a few Apes as lame.

Jeff weighed in via Clark with an intriguing question raised in one of his classrooms while discussing the book: “What if the prep school had been coed?”

A few Apes considered: “What if the adolescent ‘you’ had been in this situation, which of the characters might you have been most like?” Mike: Piggy. Glenn: Piggy. Charlie: the rescuing naval officer.

Consensus on the book MAY have been something to the effect: It offers a decent survival story wrapped in an experiment in human behavior. What happens if the rules go away? How fragile is civilization? What is the essential nature of humanity? Etcetera!

A few Apes thought some of the difficult questions resonate with our current national trauma.

The meeting began with the usual “Why’d you pick the book?” or, in this case, “Why the F**k did you pick the book?”

I picked the book mostly for “convenience,” as Clark pointed out. We had less than a month between mtgs, so short seemed like a good thing. However, I mainly wanted to reread the book before watching the new Netflix adaptation.

I was gobsmacked by 2025’s Netflix 4-episode award-winning series, Adolescence. (One amazing thing = every hour-long episode was shot in one continuous take.) Check it out:

Adolescence (Wikipedia entry)

The same screenwriter, Jack Thorne, who created Adolescence wrote this adaptation of Lord of the Flies, exploring similar themes. Again, it’s only 4 episodes, and powerful, and so very well done. Nominated for a 2026 Grammy. Again, recommended! (Extra-credit: Making of the Lord of the Flies documentary, also amazing…)

Lord of the Flies (Wikipedia entry)

Apes take on Tolstoy

reported by Charlie

The Apes discussed The Cossacks by Leo Tolstoy at The Forge on July 6, 2026.

The book was relatively short. The group that met was small. The comments were brief and concise. The discussion wrapped up timely to accommodate an important World Cup match. Therefore, this review will be brief as well.

I had read this book four times from my early teens to my late forties at turning points in my life that evoked themes touched on in this story. I read it twice more just before choosing it to examine more closely the strength of the narrative and quality of the writing.

What I know of Tolstoy leads me to believe that this tale may have been created from personal experiences. A young, wealthy Russian tired of the dissipated life in Moscow joins a military campaign during the Caucasian War of the mid-1800s against the mountain tribes of the Caucasus, hoping to find a higher purpose. Billeted in a small village of allied Cossacks this sensitive and naive young man believes he can insert himself in the simple village life in this wild place, gain the love of a beautiful Cossack girl, become a Cossack 'Brave'and fill his empty soul. But the fantasy collapses.

Mike: Impressed by Tolstoy's insight into the human condition. Enjoyed the character-driven narrative as Olenin strives for a sense of community.

Clark: Not crazy about the book; not much of a story. However, the description of the village life was a strong part of the story and Olenin was a likable character. The old, friendly reprobate, Uncle Yeroshka, was reminiscent of Fiddler On The Roof.

John: Enjoyed reading it. Slow building. Olenin's longing for love, escaping the shallowness of Moscow social life and finding community were poignant.

This was the first time with Tolstoy for all the group I've talked with. Glad to introduce him in this foreshortened novel.

Split decision: Some happy travelers, some not

 John F. reporting…

Cordelia Underwood: Or the Marvelous Beginnings of the Moosepath League by Van Reid saw some Apes happy to be along for the ride, but others – meh. 

John F., who suggested this novel, thought it would be a nice “beach read” to open the summer season. He also was intrigued by how it was first published – as a serial in a weekly newspaper in Maine. 

The story took place in 1890s Maine and involved lots of potential for storytelling – a fair maiden, the Cordelia in the title, who inherits land in the North Woods of Maine, a mysterious man delivering a treasure map to said land, three comical men with no visible means of support and seeking purpose to their lives for which they seemed to have none, a mysterious suitor of said fair maiden, a few ancillary “Maine-iacs,” and one sensible man up for many an adventure. Thus, the adventure begins. 

And went on and on and on, some Apes said. Even the humor wasn’t humorous, with few exceptions. Others found it a fun read with fine storytelling and a folklore flavor. The story grew on them – but like moss, slow-growing. 

Bottom line: folksy for some but no Prairie Home Companion for others.

Vatican corruption likely true, Pope murder allegation doubtful

 Asad writes:

The headline sums it up pretty well. Glenn observed that there were a lot – A LOT – of financial details to wade through on the links between the Vatican Bank and the Mafia; he kinda got tired of it, and there was no real evidence Pope John Paul I was murdered in the book – so no conclusion on that topic.

JohnF read the book and had similar thoughts. The financial shenanigans were believable, but the assertion that the Pope was murdered was not. We then got some interesting background from JohnF on the Vatican and Catholic doctrines.

Why I picked this book: I read this book about 25 or so years ago, when I really had no notion of the Church or the Vatican, and I remember being flabbergasted by the extent to which the Vatican bank at that time was involved with organized crime. Learning about the Vatican bureaucracy was fascinating and I thought it would be an interesting discussion.  The question about the Pope’s death – I feel was a bit of a writing gimmick.

We did have a fun discussion on these topics, with JohnF as the one most knowledgeable on the topic. We even talked about the symbolism of the all-seeing eye and the pyramid on the back of the dollar bill…

Good discussion.

a tough read, for sure, but for some "worth it"

 John K reports

A small group of five met at John's house to share chili, impressions of This Here is Love, by Princess Joy L. Perry, and share brief stories of the immigrant journey of their own families.

In keeping with tradition, John discussed “why I chose this book.”

Scanning The New York Times for interesting reading, I came across this book.  The premise: Three families whose lives intersect in Tidewater, Virginia, between 1690 and 1730, one enslaved, another headed by a free black man striving to buy and free his family,  the third by Scottish immigrants bonded as indentured servants.

The lives intersect at times, separate at others, but all within the same geographic region and subject to the same social realities.  I read several positive reviews and made the choice to pick it based upon those, prior to reading it myself.

The group reaction was mixed, with Clark only reading the first portion, saying it was just too difficult to read about such levels of suffering and human cruelty.

A common reaction was that it was indeed a difficult read.  However, the remaining Apes liked the book, felt it was original, that the writer was skillful, the storytelling developed as the book progressed.  Interesting characters.  

We generally agreed that it was a tough examination of what it takes to summon the will to live when there are no good outcomes available to you.  It also examines moral choices and their consequences.  

Upon conclusion of the book discussion, we each recounted a brief sketch of how our known ancestors immigrated here to the US.  It was quite interesting to hear the stories, both similarities and differences.

Pretty good chili, good discussion and excellent camaraderie! 

Apes Give Sept Book Mixed Reviews

 by Charlie

I don’t think Painted Horses by Malcolm Brooks needs a lot of critical analysis. It was intended to be a light read and was viewed as such by the attending group.

It was generally felt that the story lacked plausibility, particularly the love story. That being said, each in the group found some part of the story interesting. There was especially interest in the historical context of the creation of Yellowtail Dam and Bighorn Lake.

Several Apes thought the writer a bit verbose and his writing in this, the author’s first novel, not quite seasoned.

For my part I liked the book mainly because of its themes of horses, archeology, the Crow tribe, the wild places of south-central Montana, and the transitioning of that area from the old West to the new West.

I was personally comfortable with the writer’s style which brought me along through places and situations with clarity. Given that some of the characters were not very relatable, a few were unique in my reading experience, and some of the nested stories within the main narrative, although a bit jumbled, were also new territory.

Masked Hatred, Unmasked Truths: A Fever in the Heartland

 John F writes

Take one psychopathic sociopathic opportunist (if that isn’t triply redundant), stir in latent hate, “othering,”“canceling,” and hiding behind masks, and you have a recipe for A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan’s Plan to Take Over America, and the Woman who Stopped It by Timothy Egan.

This happened about a hundred years ago in Indiana. 

Some comments from my fellow Great Apes:

It was an eye-opening examination of class and crowd psychology. Anti-Jewish, anti-Black, anti-Catholic feelings combined to bring 400,000 Hoosiers into the Klan and under the spell of David C. Stephenson, who lied even on his headstone. It showed what a skilled opportunist could do.

Egan has an uncanny ability to see a great story, as he had demonstrated in previous works. Although there was an observation that a journalist may not know how to write a narrative, there also were comments about the eye-opening history that few if any of us knew anything about and the meticulous reportage of the events of the time.

There were few heroes in this story. First, of course, was Madge Oberholtzer, the woman whose assault and death-bed narrative brought down Stevenson. Then the courageous district attorney who won the conviction against Stephenson, a Muncie newspaper editor, and a South Bend attorney who for a time exposed Klan membership lists.

Masks protected the identities of Klan members but also brought a sense of belonging. There was something within each Klan member, however, that short-circuited right thinking. Birds of a feather flocked together.

It is hard to sustain a civil society, especially when ministers (many bribed) spoke from their pulpits in support of the Klan and Klan goals.

A reference to “the center cannot hold” sent me to, I confess, Wikipedia for William Butler Yeats’ poem:

The Second Coming

Turning and turning in the widening gyre 
The falcon cannot hear the falconer; 
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; 
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, 
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere 
The ceremony of innocence is drowned; 
The best lack all conviction, while the worst 
Are full of passionate intensity. 
 
Surely some revelation is at hand; 
Surely the Second Coming is at hand. 
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out 
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi 
Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert 
A shape with lion body and the head of a man, 
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun, 
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it 
Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds. 
The darkness drops again; but now I know 
That twenty centuries of stony sleep 
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle, 
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, 
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?

Crap Detectors on High Alert

 Asad writes

Charlie, Clark, Doc, and Asad met 6/30/2025 at The Forge to discuss Bullshit – while trying to not get any on ourselves. This summary is late due to my tardiness, and since I did not take notes, it is based on my memory and may contain trace amounts of Bullshit. I apologize for any errors or omissions. They are entirely my fault. Please correct/add as you see fit. Comments welcome!

Generally, the point was that Bullshit was a problem and increasing at a pretty good pace in the information age. Calling Bullshit laid out a theory/taxonomy of Bullshit and provided lots of examples. Something that stuck with me was the reference to Brandolini's Law (otherwise knows as the Bullshit Asymmetry Principle) which states, “The amount of energy needed to refute bullshit is an order of magnitude bigger than needed to produce it.”

Readers appreciated the examples, there were some comments about the book being a bit repetitive and hitting you over the head with examples. Doc shared that the book was probably good reading for 17- year-olds and a bit elementary for adults. Clark and Charlie questioned some of the basic premises – e.g. the cultural and social norms that might impact Bullshit generation, how do you deal with it.

 The discussion moved away from the book pretty soon into specific examples of bullshit and misinformation that is floating around. As we adjourned, there was consensus that we had a good discussion, however, I felt that the jury was still out on whether Calling Bullshit was a memorable/valuable read.

Martyr!... Apes: "meh"

Doc writes

At its most generous, the Apes, gave an enormous meh to Kaveh Akbar’s Martyr!

That mixed review was despite Doc’s profession of Akbar as one of the best new voices on the planet. And an Iowa guy. Others responded with a louder yawn, once again eschewing curated top-recommended literary lists and those responsible for such picks on such lists. Pshaw. 

Several apologists leapt to defend not finishing the book. Yet, plenty of criticism abounded. Apes didn’t like the Akbar’s repetitiveness, another round of, “don’t like elitists working out their issues” in the printed word.  WTF, isn’t that what writers do? 

Reading voices that challenge us and stretch our worldview should be celebrated. 

The Women WERE There

 by Mike

“Hopelessly lost but making good time”

The Great Apes convened at 4pm Monday, March 31. Charlie, Glenn, Doc, John, Clark, Asad, and this writer were in attendance to slice and dice The Women by Kristin Hannah.

Frankie, the SoCal girl from a well-heeled family leads us on her travels and travails beginning in 1965. This writer enjoyed the book. There were a couple of hooks for me.

The primary driver was the history. As I read, I often reflected on the events in my life from the mid-60s to the mid-70s. A nice meditation. The other hook was the difficulty and downright horror faced by Frankie and nurses like her.

I do agree the book had next to nothing as a literary work, and I wearied of the catastrophe-to-catastrophe narrative.

Glenn described the book as being for a wider audience. A “beach read” maybe aiming for Hollywood and movie-making. This thought was built on by Charlie describing it as “soap opera,” John calling it “mellow dramatic,’ and Clark characterizing it as “predictable and eyerolling.”

Doc scorched the book as a “bodice ripper filled with cheap tawdriness.”  Asad used descriptors like “roller coaster” and “gripping.”  He did express that the book had too much life in too little space.

So, the book gets a passing grade as a sappy page turner with some history that touches most of the Apes. It did extract some good talk from the group. Nuff said.

 Respectfully submitted. ML

 

from DEADLINE

Jan 17, 2024 – Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group has preemptively acquired rights to The Women, a new book from #1 New York Times bestselling author Kristin Hannah…

The book exposes a turbulent, transformative time in America — the 1960s — specifically honing in on the often forgotten story of the nurses who served in the Vietnam war. It is at once an intimate portrait of a woman coming of age in a dangerous time and an epic tale of a nation divided by war and broken by politics, of a generation both fueled by dreams and lost on the battlefield.

Hannah’s work on the novel saw her interview several former nurses who served during the war. The adaptation will be overseen by Cate Adams and Diamond McNeil on behalf of Warner Bros.

Short Story Collections: Nov/Dec 2024

by Charlie

The Great Apes feasted for the traditional holiday meeting at Clark’s beautiful home with an amazing paella, Spanish wines and some wonderful contributed side dishes. This combined November/December meeting was for a slightly different literary fare.

The reading selection went like this: pick any short story collection that you have previously read or read something new, at the holiday dinner each member will give a review of their selection and allow brief comments on that book and author, and the finale would be a discussion of the short story as a literary form.

Perhaps a complex agenda given the warm and friendly atmosphere, plentiful food and wine, but it went swimmingly. The attendees presented with passion and enthusiasm an incredible diversity of great authors in a concise and engaging delivery.

Some were old favorites, some familiar, some new and enticing. 

• The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury
• The Nick Adams Stories by Ernest Hemmingway
• Where I’m Calling From by Raymond Carver
• Everything That Rises Must Converge by Flannery O’Connor
• Shadows On The Grass by Izak Dinesen (Karen Von Blixen)
• You Like It Darker by Stephen King
• Dubliners by James Joyce
• Table For Two by Anmor Towles

(If I’ve missed some of your choices please let us know the titles).

And what of the short story? Consensus was that the short story is an important form of literature, but opinions as a reading preference varied. Comments in praise of the short story included the concise and succinct delivery of a theme, the skill required to boil a story down to such a short format, the chance to look into the author soul through the author’s unembellished design, the opportunity of the author to reveal important themes in one or multiple stories without the need to create a plot thread, and maybe most importantly it gives the reader a completed bite to read before sleep at night or during lunch.

Detracting from the short story comments included the lack of satisfaction provided by the long series of plot twists and turns of the novel, the depth and detail of a good biography or nonfiction treatise, the comfort of settling into and living the time and place of a longer story, and the Hitchcockian suddenness of existence and unresolved ending.

Other general comments pointed out that life is more like a loosely connected series of short stories rather than a well stitched whole and that the sudden impact of a short story creates a more contemplative imperative at it’s conclusion. 

Huck’s Legacy Rolls On: James by Percival Everett

 Ah, gits weary an' sick of tryin'
I'm tired of livin' an' scared of dyin'
But ol' man river he just keeps rollin' along

                   -Ol’ Man River from the musical Showboat (1936)

 by John F

Meanwhile, back at the Forge, we gathered to discuss James, by Percival Everett, a reimagination of Mark Twain’s classic of American (and perhaps world) literature, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Some points from the discussion:
1. The novel was a meditation on language. There were double and triple meanings in conversation. And there were two languages – the language slaves spoke to Whites, and the language slaves spoke to each other. The former language was in dialect – how Whites expected slaves to talk. The latter was how educated Whites would talk. That slaves could talk in an “educated” tongue stunned their masters.

2. The author demonstrates how language is power. Whites dominated, slaves were subservient and less than human. Language was a way Whites thought slaves were “less than.”

3. Twain was humane and liberal for his time in writing Huck Finn. Jim was depicted as intelligent – a person.

4. Would James stand alone as a novel, if not for Huck Finn? Chances are, no.

5. The writing was technically exacting, but the story was chaotic.

6. We already know that slavery was an evil institution. We didn’t need this novel to reinforce that.

7. Twain is not sacrosanct, but was this novel an insult to him?

8. It’s important to bring to this report what members who could not attend contributed by email and to include the after-meeting thoughts of members who did attend. See... 

Comments below

9. I’ll let the final words be those of the author himself, who closes his Acknowledgements at the end of the novel with these words: “Finally, a nod to Mark Twain. His humor and humanity affected me long before I became a writer. Heaven for the climate; hell for my long-awaited lunch with Mark Twain.”

Broken Promises, Blood Shed

Clark reports:

We met at Clark’s for burgers and things of that nature to discuss The Heart of Everything That Is by Bob Drury and Tom Clavin. 

The book was exceptionally well-researched and was a relative page-turner for a history book. The history of Red Cloud, the Sioux nation’s great battle leader, was fascinating. I had spent a lot of time traveling through the area where much of the book took place, which was one of the factors in my choosing it.

I read a review by an Indian reviewer, who really didn’t like the book at all, but was very non-specific in the criticism. I get that the authors were white guys, but to our reading of the book, the US Army/Government did not come across as very favorable organizations. The book was much more sympathetic to the Indian side, although looking at the results 150 years later, it would have been hard to figure out just what to do about it.

“The white man made me a lot of promises, 

and they only kept one. 

They promised to take my land, 

and they took it.” 

—Red Cloud

One point of discussion was that of “reparations.”  Most reasonable people understanding the history of the events would agree the US Government consistently reneged on its commitments, leading to, or certainly contributing to, many of the problems with the tribes today. What to do….?

Rather than pouring money on the problem, I’d advocate a “magnetic field” approach where policies could be adopted that would generally encourage movement in the direction of the field. (Engineer speak )

Seemed like all enjoyed the read – thought it was well written, VERY well researched, and very informative about events that happened close to where we live.

A very good field trip for the book is to drive up to Fort Phil Kearny, the site of the Fetterman massacre. You get extra credit for that…. 

Meh... You Dreamed of Empires

 Doc reports:

Alvaro Enrique’s You Dreamed of Empires was Doc’s June pick for the Apes. It’s a non-traditional telling of the arrival of Spanish conquistadors, led by Hernan Cortes, to Moctezuma’s Tenochtitlan. This was a challenging read.

The small contingency got to eat pulled pork and sides in the courtyard. The food was good and plentiful. Attendees consumed the beverage of choice.  No one was harmed.

Empires got very little love from the Apes.  Natasha Wimmer, Roberto Bolano’s translator, served in that capacity here for Enrique. Commentary generally emphasized discordance with proper names, an ill-defined story with seeming dead ends, and characters that were also difficult to grasp.

Apes wander West with Giraffes

by Mike

The Great Apes convened on June 3, 2024, to discuss West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge. This was book number 315 considered by the esteemed and authoritative assemblage. John K., John F., Glenn, Doc, Charlie, Phil, Tim, Clark, and this writer met at the Forge to air the whats and wherefores of a 1938, 18-day cross-country journey toting 2 giraffes to the San Diego Zoo.

All seemed entertained by the story despite concerns with the factual descriptions of times, places, and predicaments.

Tim talked of a fascination with the critters. Charlie was taken by the route across the country and the various byways and stops. Phil commented that he learned some shit and unlearned some shit. Glenn found the language to be down-to-earth and authentic to time and place. He did feel the author had a foot in fantasy.

Charlie expressed concern for the book however at the meeting’s close he commented that after an hour of discussion he “now loves the book,” a sign of the benefit of a book group.

Clark read a passage from the text. He then commented he found it to be a great story and liked it a lot. Both Johns enjoyed the story. Jon K. highlighted the narrative delivery being from Woody as a 100-year-old man reflecting on a journey that defined and directed a life path.

I got little traction from my comparison to Huckleberry Finn.

All agreed that the book was a Journey/Coming-of-Age tale.

Doc summed it up. “Not a literary masterpiece but a good tale”

Let it be so recorded.

Abide and Flourish. ML

How to Stay Married... Why?

by Glenn

Why pick it?

Many things about the book, How to Stay Married by Harrison Scott Key, really stuck. I could not shake it. It shook me. I kept mulling it over. Judy read it and we talked about it. I wanted to talk about it some more. I hoped there’d be much for the Apes to discuss.

Hearts and bones: elemental, universal, complex questions about human relationship and purpose; questions intimate and challenging for a memoirist.

I thought the book witty, charming, and well written. The man can write a sentence!

The courage it took to lay so bare his shortcomings as a husband and father, to publish the heartache and the shit he and his wife went through, to broadcast being so lost, so broken - a bit shocking, really.

The man’s wife left the family for a “hanging” Chad. (Sorry, Mr. Downie!) How to go on?

Kids. Faith. Friends. Resilience. Humor. Love. Hooks instead of missing pictures. Will that be enough? I wanted to find out. But it was a ride I would only experience as a reader. Thank heavens!

That’s why I picked it.

But, why write it? Why publish it?

Mr. Key?

Some have questioned my publishing this book, understandably worried that, in my attempt at healing, I might end up causing more hurt. I share that concern…

I wrote this story, which is by turns confession, cautionary fable, true-crime romance, and paranormal nonfiction dystopian farce. Whatever you call it, it’s our story, my wife’s and mine. Others have their own. If they read this book, I hope they will find love in these pages.

…this horror novel masquerading as a comedy…

Writing this story is the second-hardest thing I have ever done in my life. Living through the events described here without committing a felony is the hardest.

This book is about my marriage, but it’s about far more than that. It’s also about my spiritual journey through the wastelands of being and my seeking…

I knew if I wrote a book about my marriage, I would also be compelled to write about all the garbage unearthed in my own heart by the marriage. If this book is a hit job, my pride is the true target.

That is why I wrote this book. I wanted to strip away the façade I have worked so long to cultivate: in reality, in literature, in my imagination. My imagination is the real villain here. I did not write this book for revenge. Books cannot grant you vengeance against your wife’s lover. That’s what baseball bats are for.

No, I wrote this book to confess.

I am a needy man….  I have become the kind of man who sits in his driveway smoking cigarettes in his underwear while waving at moms from the school around the corner as they drive by and pretend not to see. They know. They know what happened. They’ve heard.

Thank you, Mr. Key. Paul Simon has his hand up. Paul?

 

There is a girl in New York City

Who calls herself the human trampoline

And sometimes when I’m falling, flying

Or tumbling in turmoil I say

“Whoa, so this is what she means”

She means we’re bouncing into Graceland

 

And I see losing love

Is like a window in your heart

Well, everybody sees you’re blown apart

Everybody feels the wind blow

 

Graceland, Graceland

I’m going to Graceland

  

Thank you, Paul.

Mr. Key, what do you think of Paul’s description “tumbling in turmoil” and his pilgrimage to Graceland?

We are highly experienced at falling off precipices. By this point, I’m willing to try anything, even paying a stranger to ask questions neither of us wants to answer.

The human heart is a terrain that cannot be mapped by reason alone. Virtue cannot solve the riddle of marriage. All I really know is this: the most powerful force in the universe is love and the strangest is forgiveness. I will never fully understand either…

What is forgiveness but burying the dead and being okay with it? What can be more impossible and necessary in this life?

They say God doesn’t keep a grade book, and I’m trying to throw mine away. “Love keeps no record of wrongs,” we hear so often in wedding ceremonies, and we smile like fools.

But there’s another verse that seems much clearer to me. It’s in the book of Proverbs, which says, “All the days of the afflicted are evil, but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast.”

Laughter can sometimes feel impossible when you have so much hurt to remember. Finishing this book will, I think, help me do the forgetting. Here, take our memories. Take our story. Let it do in you what stories do. I want to be done with it.

“Angels can fly because they can take themselves lightly.” - G. K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy (the book’s epigraph)

Thank you, Mr. Key. Good luck with your book. I admire it.

At the conclusion of this interview, Don Henley took the stage and performed his hit song “Heart of the Matter.” The audience stood and sang along. As did Mr. Harrison and I. We sang our hearts out.

 

The more I know, the less I understand

All the things I thought I knew

I’m learning again

 

I’ve been tryin’ to get down

To the heart of the matter

But my will gets weak

And my thoughts seem to scatter

But I think it’s about

Forgiveness, forgiveness

Even if, even if

You don’t love me any more