Go Gentle was written by the novelist who wrote Where’d you go Bernadette, which I liked (see my book review here on my blog, with my movie review of it here), and I saw this one reviewed in the Christian Science Monitor, so I gave it a try.

It was a easy, breezy read that came together in the end, although there is a bit about writing comedy in Hollywood, which felt a bit unnecessary to get that much detail for what it did for the plot overall. (I think some editing there would have been advisable, although I got through it and back to the main plot, so she didn’t lose me on the detour.)

The main character is a bit too quick to jump into sex for my taste, but as a student of Stoicism, the text is sprinkled through with joy-inducing wisdom nuggets like these:

• “Cease to hope, and you will cease to fear.” Hecato
• “Things happen to you as things do. But events are neutral. To the extent they make you suffer, that’s on you.”
• “Acceptance isn’t passive. It’s active. Acceptance is an act of courage. It’s not the end. It’s the beginning.”
• “What we’re having the emotional freak out about is not the event itself, but what we tell ourselves about the event.”
• “Virtue = happiness”
• “Virtue = freedom”
• What makes Epictetus so special is his ability to distill giant concepts into little, mind-blowing soul-snacks that make you want to jump out of your chair and change your life.”
• “The greatest remedy for anger is delay.” Seneca

There is a mystery here our main character solves, there are themes of art restitution to their countries of origin, the me-too movement, divorced women aging happily alone, the meandering paths careers take, a touch of romance, and character development.

The most interesting bit was the revelation that with all the benefits of Stoicism, what eclipsed it? Jesus and the religion of love. That’s what is missing in stoicism: love. On that pivot, this story turns. And victory is very sweet, so go gentle.

You might enjoy this novel too; it is clever on various levels. I give it 4 stars.