Manhattan had the privilege of a visit by Kent Haruf in 2006 for our first One Book/ One Community Read.  His novel Plainsong was a finalist for the National Book Award and was adapted into a Hallmark Hall of Fame television movie in 2004.  Many in Manhattan delighted in meeting the author and reveled in his engaging talks.                                                 Fast forward to this year and find Kent’s newest novel destined for a prestigious award.  Benediction is set once again on the eastern high plains of Colorado in the small town of Holt.  Dad Lewis has just been given the death sentence of a cancer diagnosis.  His daughter comes home to help her mother, Mary, care for him, but his distant son is no longer a part of their lives.  The secondary characters in the story all have issues and lives that are familiar to all of us.  I found his latest book to be captivating and poignant as it drew me into a story that came so close to my personal experiences with my mother’s recent death.  We all can feel the pathos of loss as none of us escape life’s sad transitions.  Read Benediction  also for the love shown to a small girl being raised by her grandmother and the hilarious skinny dipping scene.