Stitches is not a book for those who like everything in neat boxes or want a Bible text on every page. However, it takes the messiness of grief, loss, illness and suffering in its many forms, one rough ‘stitch’ at a time.
This offers the potential to create something that is unconventional and unplanned but has a rugged beauty and great purpose. This book is for anyone who ever thinks about the deep questions; for the hurting and the lost.
It merits rereading, reflecting on and sharing with others. It is a book that you might not ‘get’ the first time, but that somehow worms its way inside you. My only minor criticism is that some of the specifics are American and I didn’t always know what the author was referring to, but it didn’t really matter. I suspect that a few of Lamott’s other books may find their way onto my shelves in the near future.
LISA HOLMES is lead minister at Skipton Baptist Church
