Pilgrim's Wilderness (Tom Kizzia)

In the early 2000s, Robert Hale- AKA "Papa Pilgrim"- and his family (wife and 15 kids) made their way to Alaska to settle near an abandoned copper mine and 13 miles from a remote frontier town (McCarthy) deep in the mountains. Homesteaders and strict Christians, they occasionally played their amazing music for the small town but mostly wanted to be left alone. Their quirky ways and suspicious activities were complicated by National Park Service allegations concerning family conduct on property outside of their deed . . . town residents soon took sides as the story gained attention. But focus shifted as things took a horrible turn; the family was hiding a deep secret. Papa Pilgrim was not the holy man he claimed- and years of stealing, lying, incest, control, and other horrors would soon come to light.

Though an avid reader, it's not often that I push beyond my daily goal for a book. Nearing 300 pages, I assumed I would read this in five-six days; I finished it in two. Kizzia is a good writer, interlacing the main story with chapters on flashbacks to cogent points of Hale's prior life in Texas and New Mexico. You learn a bit about the ways and quirks of remote Alaskan frontier towns, but the story focuses in on (first) the battle between the NPS and the Hale family, and (second) Hale's dark secrets as they emerge. I'm not even sure how to categorize this. History? Journalism? Crime? Whatever, it is a heartbreaking story told masterfully.

Fresh off Butterfield's The Gospel Comes With a House Key, I'm struck by the contrasts. In both cases, you have people preaching a radical form of Christianity, arguing that the typical Christian household is missing the mark. But Hale's Christianity is a lie. He holds up but twists the scriptures to his own (and others') destruction, ignoring them as it pleases him to justify heinous crimes and take advantage of others, all while denying wrongdoing of any kind. He isolates himself and his family. Butterfield's Christianity is the truth, as she models Jesus in dying to self and living for others in a way most other Believers will only admire. She brings others in and cares for them. Both claim to be correct; in the end, "you will recognize them by their fruits" (Matthew 7:16).

Rating: A