FICTION: A group of idealistic Unitarians search for a new minister and find that they agree on very little.
"Search" by Michelle Huneven; Penguin Press (400 pages, $26)
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The elevator pitch of Michelle Huneven's new novel would not do this fine book justice. What's it about, in one sentence? Um, "Search" is a deep dive into the workings of a Unitarian-Universalist committee that is searching for a new pastor.
That might be what it's about, but what it's really about — what makes it so enthralling — is human nature. Relationships, chemistry, charisma, self-awareness (or lack thereof), and, especially, group dynamics and how they can turn the best-laid plans upside down.
The story is narrated by Dana P., a writer in Southern California. Dana is in her 50s, a former seminarian. But after graduation, her writing career suddenly took off, and she abandoned her ministry plans for memoir-writing and a restaurant reviewing gig at the Los Angeles Times. (A job Huneven herself held for many years.)
Now, 20 years later, her church needs to replace its retiring minister. Dana joins the search committee, mainly because she hopes to mine the experience for material for her next book.
It would not be trite to say that everyone on the committee is searching for something, often without realizing it — and that goes for Dana, too. She thinks she's there to gather material, but as the year goes on she finds herself, as another committee member notes, caring more deeply than anyone else.
More deeply, that is, than everyone except her nemesis, the tattooed Jennie, who is determined to hire a young, hip, female-presenting BIPOC minister to shake things up and move on from what she sees as the white male paternalism of the previous ministers.
The strengths of Huneven's novel lie in her deep understanding of human nature and her ability to channel the voices of the visiting ministers — not just in their dialogue, but also in their application packets of mission statements, faith journeys and sermons.
The eight people on the committee are recognizable, fully formed characters — the young gay Latino who is new to the church and who doesn't understand why Unitarians don't talk more about God; the elderly former church secretary who knows the history, the rules, and where all the bodies are buried; the distracted and disorganized young man who is in a complicated three-way relationship that consumes all of his energy. He keeps meaning to read the packets, but he's just so busy! And he gets so many texts!
He, and some of the others, gradually rely more and more on Jennie, who becomes a force to be reckoned with. Suddenly the committee is no longer a cohesive whole, but has split into two factions.
Will Dana and "the olds" (as Jennie calls them) prevail, with their desire for a solid, experienced, middle-aged minister? Or will Jennie and the youngs get their wish — a charismatic but inexperienced young woman who charms all she meets but who might have shaky theology and lousy organizational skills?
It's fascinating to watch how skillfully Huneven moves committee members from one side to the other, and to watch, appalled, as the inevitable slowly happens. Those scenes are a master class in group dynamics.
"Search" is a fun read. While the book is laced with plenty of humor (which Dana herself does not always see), it is laced, too, with plenty of wisdom. We can search, Huneven is saying, but you just never know what you might find.
