A seminarian discovers there’s a lot more to life than purpose in ministry in this novel of personal growth and inner strength.
John Cheyenne Wilbur’s Grace Notes is part coming-of-age story, part journey of faith, and completely readable in a single sitting. Fast-paced and genuinely funny, it’s nearly impossible not to root for Jerry Cradleman in his search for meaning in his life.
Like most teens, Jerry struggles to fit in at home and at school. He’s not the best at basketball, but he does well with baseball. He’s not the most popular boy, but he has a loyal friend in Adam. His parents don’t seem to do more than the bare minimum, but they don’t appear to mistreat him either.
It’s not until he turns to a local youth pastor and his wife while experiencing a crisis that Jerry experiences the peace of being valued for who you are. And it’s that sense of security that sparks Jerry’s lifelong quest to get closer to God, for himself and for others who feel like mere grace notes in a universal symphony. That human connection feels more like home than living in the house he shares with his parents.
Throughout high school, college, seminary, and beyond, Jerry’s path isn’t always straight. He’s not always confident that he’ll find what he’s looking for. But Jerry’s mission reveals itself like the famous expression that life is what happens while you’re making other plans. Jerry’s life is full of ministering to youth and the homeless, undertaking spiritual quests, and chasing true love. His search for a spiritual home brings him across the country and around the world, going full circle to an immensely satisfying conclusion.
From the moment the book opens with Jerry and his friend Adam at basketball camp, Wilbur never misses in making his protagonist truly human. Achieving that sense of belonging again becomes his life’s goal. He’s just not always 100-percent sure how to get there. Jerry’s faith-filled intentions to become a minister are handled with care and a human touch. Plenty of his actions don’t align with what immediately comes to mind when you think of a minister. Still, it’s these human mistakes and failings that endear Jerry to us.
At significant points of the story, Wilbur’s call-out of grace notes encourages deeper thinking and reflection. Throughout much of the book, Jerry wrestles with personal demons he can’t identify. In Wilbur’s hands, the battles are explored with sensitivity and compassion. These experiences color Jerry’s life in ways he doesn’t understand until another crisis forces a painful remembering. It forever changes his relationship with his parents and gives him clarity about his future.
Reading Grace Notes feels like accompanying Jerry on every step of his journey. Wilbur’s tight cast of characters does a lot of heavy lifting in providing good adversaries that make Jerry stop, look, and listen. Nothing is handed to him easily, and his inner growth is what drives the story. Most people can identify with that unmoored feeling of leaving high school, college, a romantic relationship, or a job, and wondering what comes next. It’s heartening to see Jerry experience that same heady mix of anticipation and hesitation and work through those challenges toward honorable resolutions.
Wilbur’s dry humor (“Jerry scanned his fellow classmates: a surprising number of good-looking women; also, plenty of successful-looking guys…. God, he hated them.”) is the perfect balance to some of the emotionally heavier parts of the book. Still, there’s a lack of accountability and consequences for those who hurt Jerry, and it’s frustrating, even though it’s not unrealistic.
Grace Notes is an engaging exploration of faith, success, and failure in personal relationships and professional goals. Whether you choose it for yourself or for your book group, Wilbur delivers an enjoyable read with great depth and heart. A book that I won’t be forgetting any time soon.
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