So Far Gone

"Fun" read isn't quite right as it does have some violent and tense scenes. But the main character is funny, even when he doesn't mean to be, and there's always the sense that he's going to figure it out and get his life back in order. The events he goes through to get there, however, are sometimes like watching an action movie. Car chase, gun fights, a legion of religious goons in the mountains of Idaho...

At the core of it, the old man got fed up with the ugliness of the world and gave up on his family to become a recluse. He saw it as doing everyone else a favor, but ultimately realizes he was being a selfish coward. After nearly a decade goes by, he is dragged back into the messiness of the real world and discovered that what he sacrificed - time with his family and connection to community - is time that he can't get back but he can start now to make amends. And while it may have seemed worthwhile to retreat to the woods and to his books to opt out of the craziness of the world, all it really did was result in protecting himself. The ugliness and craziness of the world continued in his absence. The only difference is he wasn't there to help when his family needed him.

For all the drama, the story is fairly simple and the moral is clear: Connection with community and family is the most important thing.