PEARLY GATES by Owen Marshall

Quietly enjoyable, nothing flashy or alarming, a relaxing yet thoughtful novel about a man, an ordinary man with many good points, and many failings, just like all of us. Human. And that is what the appeal in this novel is. Not a lot happens during the course of the book, but a lot happens to Pearly Gates, the 64 year old second time mayor of a provincial town somewhere in the South Island, somewhere like Timaru, Cromwell or Balclutha. Pearly has lived his whole life in this town, his old school is about to turn 125 years old, a successful rugby player as a young man until injuries stopped that, he has a successful real estate business, still married to Helen, two grown children - one done ok, one not so much, and of course carries around the kudos of being mayor. Popular, affable, definitely a favourite son.  

The stars are aligning however in a way that throws Pearly slightly off his nice straight lineal track. Nothing major, just a few little spanners falling into the works that make him question his life and his purpose here on earth. The upcoming election for a third mayoral term makes him do something morally questionable that lingers at the back of his mind, his son forces him into some reanalysis of his performance as a dad, the impending school reunion takes him back to those years and his fellow students now all in their mid-60s, measuring the success of their lives. The stunning Otago landscape is beautifully evoked by Marshall, as is the small town nature of life in the provinces - Pearly is a big fish in a small pond. The other characters are equally interesting and well rounded - Helen, his old friend Gumbo, his political opponent Philip,  his relationship with the town clerk David,  his brother Richie who now runs the family farm. There are some beautiful moments in this - the disastrous trip he makes to Christchurch with his town clerk, his loyalty to his friends, his growing awareness of his own inner self. He already is a good man, but somehow he has become a bit smug, a bit full of his own self-importance. I loved how Pearly learns about his self, and manages to find a better man, leading of course to a good outcome by the time I reached the end.