“The Search” by Michelle Huneven – Book Review
How can a fictionalized story about a slow-moving church committee be a suspenseful page-turner? Somehow, The Search is just that, and even though it’s only February, this is a contender for one of my favorite books of the year.
Summary
Author Michelle Huneven secretly took notes during her own, real-life church committee experience, then fictionalized it into The Search, the story of Dana P’s year collaborating with 7 other church members to choose their next pastor.
Dana, in her mid-fifties and just kind of tired of everything, is a locally-famous food critic scrounging around for her next book topic. She’s startled, and flattered, when two leaders of her church stop by for a visit. She expects them to reprimand her for playing hooky from church. Instead they send her on a secret mission to find out when their current pastor, who’s also clearly tired of everything, is retiring. A lover of secrets, Dana is immediately intrigued… and realizes she’s found her next book topic. She returns to church and earns a spot on the pastoral search committee.
As Dana gets to know the other committee members, she’s horrified first by their lack of fitness to choose the right pastor, and then by what boring characters they’ll make in her book. How wrong she is – at least about the book. Only time will tell about the pastor, because the committee’s journey to choose their candidate is a bumpy ride from start to finish.
Review
I loved this so much that as soon as I finished, I started right back at the beginning. It’s petty, it’s meaningful, it’s inconsequential and enormous: a roller coaster of relationships that we’ve all experienced. And it’s told in a voice that’s so human and honest it makes you feel like you’re right there by Dana’s side.
Delicious characters
Dana herself is a gem. She shares her thoughts, from sincere to sly to petty, in a way that feels so unfiltered, I feel as though they must be the author’s true reactions. That or the author is a master of building characters. Almost immediately, the political drama of the committee absorbs Dana. She conspires with a friend to get people thrown out for forming factions, then muses about creating a cabal of her own. Prying for juicy details, she says, “I was dying to get her take but didn’t want to seem like the avid gossip hound I am.” Dana is not a saint, and that’s part of why it’s so easy to love her and so fun to hang out with her.
But as much as Dana gets caught up in the interpersonal battles, she’s astonished to realize how deeply she cares about the search. The politics quickly turn serious, and the future of the church hangs in the balance. Reading, you feel every up and down with Dana, as her favorite candidates move to the next round or get mercilessly eliminated. At the end, in the moment of decision, Dana wonders why she cares so much, and feels as though she cares more than others. We are distraught right along with her.
Surrounding Dana are other characters almost, though not quite, as delightful as her. The personalities vary so much and contrast with each other so well it’s hard to imagine a real-life group being so perfectly imperfect. Whether based in reality or not, I’m happy to watch the motley crew as they attempt to form an effective team. Just like in real life, as people expose their foibles and weaknesses, and yet earnestly try their best, you love them and can’t stand them in turns.
Reality & mystery
I desperately want to know what happened on the author’s real-life committee. Throughout she drops hints that this is an echo of reality. When a friend suggests that Dana should write a book about the committee, Dana reacts with innocent surprise. The friend suggests another committee member should be Dana’s love interest in the book, and Dana goes on to imagine, once or twice, how that storyline might work out. According to the preface to the second edition, “talk of lawsuits has subsided.” Who knows whether this is true or just another bit of intrigue.
Case study in team dynamics
Beyond being entertaining, The Search offers an extraordinary case study in group dynamics and management, better than many a business text. The missteps pile up quickly, and almost no one is blameless. At the committee’s first meeting, you can already see division between young and old members. One young member has a preconceived idea of who she wants as a pastor and uses her audacity and talent for stirring up trouble to push for her favorite candidates. The committee chair, a former lawyer with a perpetually perfect bob, fails to keep the others in line and allows bias to go unchecked. It’s lesson after lesson in holding people accountable, mediating discussions to encourage objectivity, and enforcing data-driven decisions.
Read it or skip it?
Read this! I loved it.
Read it if you enjoy a character- and relationship-driven story. It’s the ultimate book club choice, since you can pick apart the committee outcome, characters, and mistakes along the way.
Skip it if you don’t like character- and conversation-driven books. You might find this slow.
For the record, this is about church, but it’s not about religion. If you’re non-religious, or another religion, you can still enjoy it.
Rating
Overall: 5 stars – a delightful, thought-provoking character study
Audiobook: 5 stars – well-narrated, adding emphasis and depth without being obtrusive
Trigger warnings
None that I can think of. Small elements of alcohol and drug addiction.
About the author: Michelle Huneven
A long-time food journalist and author, Michelle Huneven has written 3 other books and won a number of awards. She really does live in Altadena, California, near Dana’s fictional church. It seems like her books focus on challenging relationships. I’m so curious about her personality and how she writes about topics that aren’t so closely based on her own life. I’ll pick up another of her books soon.
