The Sin Eater - Softcover

Schmidt, Gary D.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 014130121X ISBN 13: 9780141301211

Publisher: Puffin, 1998

Synopsis

While living on his grandparents' farm in New Hampshire, Cole hears stories about a mysterious sin-eater which enable Cole to learn forgiveness and to connect with his ancestors. An ALA Best Book for Young Adults. Reprint.

About this title

From School Library Journal:

Grade 6-8. This intriguing title explores both the immediate and the enduring benefits of preserving family history. Two years after his mother's death, Cole and his seriously depressed father move in with his mother's aging parents on their New Hampshire farm. Dad holes up in a bedroom, but Cole fits in quickly, taking up his share of the chores and making new friends. Tending the family graveyard one day, Cole comes upon a mystery: a nameless tombstone with the inscription, "Who Are We To Judge?" Schmidt weaves the boy's search to discover who lies beneath that stone into a rich tapestry of small-town life: seasonal and longer cycles; memorable residents both living and dead; rivalries, friendships, and interfamily relations that sometimes go back for generations. In the anecdotes and reminiscences Cole gathers, he finds a piece of the puzzle in the century-old story of the Sin Eater, a man who, it was believed, could ease the pain and guilt of others by assuming their sins. Cole also learns a great deal about his mother from the memories of those who knew her?and, after tragedy strikes again, about his father, too. The prose is infused with feeling, and shot through with sobering, hilarious, startling, lovely, always well-told incidents. While some of the subplots are not as fully developed as others and the story occasionally breaks down under the weight of its own complexity, it is nonetheless a haunting, thoroughly admirable fictional debut.?John Peters, New York Public Library
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist:

Gr. 6^-9. After his mother dies, Cole and his father move to her parents' New Hampshire farm. Dad immediately retires to the hired man's room, but Cole grows comfortable with his cantankerous grandfather, makes some friends, and becomes involved in hearing the stories told to him about the families in the area, in particular, the tales about the Sin Eater, who was able to take on the dishonor and pain that others in the community could not bear to shoulder. Cole finds peace in his new life, but his father, who has been drifting further away, commits suicide, and then it is up to Cole to begin the process of reconciliation once more. Schmidt, a first-time author, offers some wonderful moments. His characters are engaging; Cole's grandparents, especially, spark every page that they are on. Schmidt also has a way with description, though he overdoes it a bit for the age group. But his central image of the Sin Eater, though interesting, and its recurring role are not well integrated with the rest of the story. It will take very astute readers to make the connections that Schmidt tries to establish. Schmidt's sin might be that he is overly ambitious the first time out, but there is definite promise here. Ilene Cooper

About this edition

• Publisher: Puffin
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 014130121X
• ISBN 13: 9780141301211
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 184