The Hour I First Believed: A Novel

What makes Wally Lamb great is that he writes about real life - a life to which the reader can truly relate. The truth of the matter is that life often sucks! It is often mundane, depressing, frustrating, difficult and uninspiring. Filled with work, chores, arguments, leaky roofs, busted cars and money shortages. If you do not wish to be reminded of this reality - this truth - then Wally Lamb is not the writer for you my friend. If you seek escape - look elsewhere. The characters in Wally Lamb's books are incomplete - we witness their growth and maturation as they endure "real" life. This is a quality that I look for in any fiction that I read - I want to see struggle that I can relate with. I want to see myself reflected in the experiences of the characters. I want to be validated, encouraged and inspired. Really, this is a book about a journey. About discovering what really matters in life - a lesson that is sometimes not learned until everything is stripped from you. As Americans, we have the luxury of surrounding ourselves with diversions. We are insulated from much of the real struggle of life - often because we are able to throw money at our problems. But, what if you lost everything - one piece at a time. At what point would you break? When would you quit? In The Hour I First Believed, the main character, Caelum Quirk, experiences a series of devastating losses and life changes that send him "backward," landing him in the home of his youth. From the shootings at Columbine, to job loss, his wife's mental illness and death, his continual financial challenges and grueling work schedule - Caelum Quirk rises every day to meet life head on. Reading this book requires patience. Nothing explodes. There are no graphic sex scenes. We simple walk with Caelum Quirk as he faces each day, tries to deal with what is in front of him, tries to cope with his many difficulties and finds purpose and meaning in the process. This book is filled with wisdom - with the knowledge that life is not always fair, not always fun - but is always beautiful. Our task in life is to look through our immediate challenges - the temporal - and begin to see their purpose. Everything happens for a reason. So, instead of asking "why," we should ask "what for?" Our experiences mold and forge us - they are the building block for who we are to become. Failure to face our challenges with dignity, courage and persistence will result in a failure to grow or mature. I am grateful for the many hours I spent in reading this book. It was a beautiful journey from which a learned a great deal about myself and about the journey we are all on in the world.

It lacks the continuity of 'We Are Water' as well as the insightful character development of 'She's Come Undone'. I also prefer 'I Know This Much Is True' over this sentimental but overdrawn work. Not to mention that there are a lot of grammatical and format errors. It seems like the process of writing it was rushed and erratic. I expected more from Wally Lamb but remain a devoted reader.

It took me a little while to get into this one honestly. I love wally lamb but after about 80 pages I put it away and went on to other books. During a dry spell I started up again and about 2 pages in I was hooked (if I had just waited a little longer the first time). From then on it was great except the family history stuff.....I just couldn't get into that. I would rate this lowest of the books of his (almost all of them) that I've read but he's such a good writer it's still a really good book.