Two more reads Pontoon and Overton Window

I always get a laugh out of Garrison Keillor's writings even though  I absolutely disagree with him politically.  He does it again with "Pontoon" published in 2007, which I picked up somewhere and decided it was a good light read for  travels, the trouble is  there are so many funny passages I had to read them out loud to Jerry too as we drove along to southern IL.  "Pontoon"  really hit my giggle buttons because now we live in MN, the site of Lake Wobegon and among Norwegians and Lutherans, the folks in his writings.  "Pontoon"  is vintage Keillor especially the final funeral scene, I laugh out loud recalling it. Sometimes I wonder what he's drinking or smoking when he writes; share that secret please!  Here is a very over all  summary because there is so much that happens to so many characters, that I can't cover it all here. 
When Evelyn dies, her daughter, Barbara discovers  that her wishes are  cremation, to be stuffed into her bowling ball and dropped into Lake Woebegone!  There, you see what I mean about what does he drink while writing.  While Barbara proceeds to carry out these wishes she gives up alcohol which has been a problem for her but a coping mechanism; she enlists her  bedraggled excuse of an adult son to assist; he hooks up with an Elvis impersonator and things really start to gel.  Meantime Deb Detmer, a local girl who went to CA where she made a fortune  specializing in  veterinary aroma therapy returns home for a celebration ceremony (not a wedding) to marry Brent,on the Lake in a pontoon  presided over by Misty Naylor, from the sisterhood of the sacred Spirit.  Enough happens to call the celebration off but not some of the arrangements which collide with the funeral.  Then there are the visiting Danish Lutheran  ministers,  agnostics, shipped  away from Copenhagen to get out of their Bishop's hair and who Fred must escort.  The Danes cannot wait to leave for more exciting Western states, but little can they begin to  imagine what they will encounter as they feast on giant shrimp kabobs at Lake Wobegon and imbibe too freely.  Enough, it makes me laugh just trying to describe it.

 He adequately describes lutefisk which is something I have tasted here only once and cannot fathom anyone eating, but they do.  Pg. 185, " Lutefisk is cod that has been dried in a lye solution.,  It looks like the dessicated cadavers of squirrels run over by trucks, but after it is soaked and reconstituted and lye is washed out and it's cooked, it looks more fish related, though with lutefisk, the window of success is small.  It can be tasty but statistics are not on your side.  It is the hereditary  delicacy of Swedes and Norwegians who serve it around the holidays in memory of ancestors who ate it because they were poor.  Most lutefisk are not edible by normal people." I am vindicated because I finally here in MN found a fish that I cannot eat, lutefisk.  Before I met it I would say that given a choice I'd always opt for fish, but now at these dinners I opt for the Swedish meatballs right away. 

There are references throughout to the statue of the Unknown Norwegian in town, other characters including Evelyn's sister, Flo who want the  traditional church wedding, and Evelyn's secret lover Raoul.  You gotta read it to get it! 


I borrowed "The Overton Window" by Glenn Beck from a friend and wondered  when it would get better.  It is vintage Glenn Beck with lots of far out ranting.  If you ever see Glenn Beck on TV you can hear him reading this novel  about Noah Gardener successful businessman in his father Arthur's PR firm.  Trouble begins when Noah meets Molly Ross, a revolutionary subversive.   I would have waited a long time to read this and not missed a thing.  It is far out, shades of political nonsense such as we are now living and yet beyond that.  I hope this does not forecast our future.  I have a  2nd cousin who is an LDS church member and way more conservative than I am.  I remember hearing her views years ago about this New World Order plot.  Well the Overton Window is just like that, New World order and beyond, where do we run, where do we hide.  Fortunately I'd had a good laugh with Pontoon before reading this.  Typical Beck where at times the writing stimulates  thought, one memorable  part, on page 7 "..people think about age and experience in terms of years but it's really only moments that define us.  We stay mostly the same and then grow suddenly at the turning points."