Brothers and sisters,
I’ve mentioned this a few times now, but I’ve been thoroughly enjoying a fantasy book club I joined earlier this year. We meet at a bookstore in Chapel Hill once a month and we talk about the latest fantasy book the leader of the club has chosen. Five months in, I’ve enjoyed all of the books we’ve read — some definitely more than others.
Well, last Thursday, I went to chat with the other book club members about a book called City of All Seasons. It’s a very new book, having literally come out this May, that is co-written by two respected fantasy authors. The novel is set in the island city of Fairharbour and is told through the perspectives of two cousins, Jaime and Esther Pike. Sounds simple enough, until you learn that, because of tragic circumstances that happened decades earlier, the cousins have been separated since Fairharbour exists in two different, overlap-ping dimensions. Jaime’s Fairharbour is stuck in eternal winter and is governed by the oppressive Doormen. Esther’s Fairharbour is stuck in eternal summer and is terrorized by the paranoid Fenestration.
The plot of the book surrounds Jaime and Esther’s attempts to communicate with each other and unravel the mystery of what happened to split Fairharbour in two. And it’s the way they communicate that I want to write about a little bit. See, Jaime and Esther are both tinkerers who learned how to make things from their uncle, Pawel. They communicate with each other by creating new, interesting things that recall their shared childhood, slipping these to each other at places where the two Fairharbours bleed into one an-other (in other words, Jaime finds places not covered with snow and puts his object there, knowing Esther will find it, while Esther finds little patches of snow and places her creations there, knowing Jaime will find them). Their creativity, their connection, and their hope of reuniting keeps them going and does, eventually, help them figure out what happened to Fairharbour all those years ago.
What I appreciate the most about this story is the connection the authors make between creativity and hope. When we create something for someone else, we draw on our knowledge of them and we make something that we believe will bring them joy. We make something that reminds them that they are loved. And I would argue love and joy naturally lead one to hope. As Christians, isn’t our hope tied up in the idea that God loves us deeply? Is our hope not defined by the joy God gives to each of us? To be able to build connections with other people is to create com-munity and a sense that we can do great, wonderful things. If we will place God in the center of it all, we will find that creating and connecting with others connects us more fully to God.
So, over the next few weeks, I would challenge you all to create something for someone you love. Maybe it’s a craft. Maybe it’s a meal or a special dish. Maybe it’s creating a day where the two of you spend time with each other doing something you love. Regardless, think about them and their joy, and create something that sparks it.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Ben
P. S. There is a review on the cover of City of All Seasons that calls it, “Deeply different, strange, and fascinating…” Rarely has a review so quickly encapsulated a book. City is deeply atmospheric and moody, with just enough plot to call itself a novel.
