Whistling in the Dark (1988)
A Doubter's Dictionary
Book Description
In Whistling in the Dark: a doubter’s dictionary, Frederick Buechner casts a spiritual eye over the varied terrain of our everyday language.
The third installment of his much-loved lexical trilogy, Whistling in the Dark pauses to consider ‘just plain words’. From ‘Adolescence’, ‘Anxiety’, and ‘Jogging’, to ‘Narcotics’, ‘Tears’, and ‘Youth’, Buechner journeys through the landscape of life’s common occurrences, thoughts, and feelings, through faith and doubt, and through loss and joy. As ever, his unique way of looking at the world acts to elevate the ordinary and demonstrate the presence of God in the mundane moments of life:
TEARS:
You never know what may cause them. The sight of the Atlantic Ocean can do it, or a piece of music, or a face you've never seen before. A pair of somebody's old shoes can do it. Almost any movie made before the great sadness that came over the world after the Second World War, a horse cantering across a meadow, the high school basketball team running out onto the gym floor at the start of a game. You can never be sure. But of this you can be sure. Whenever you find tears in your eyes, especially unexpected tears, it is well to pay the closest attention. They are not only telling you something about the secret of who you are, but more often than not God is speaking to you through them of the mystery of where you have come from and is summoning you to where, if your soul is to be saved, you should go to next.
Reviews
"Compelling and imaginative…uncovers bright patches of light and discloses wry kernels of wisdom and insight."
— Chicago Tribune
"Ultimate justice would mean that [Buechner’s] books will be found in virtually every literate and civilized household in the United States. That is what he deserves as a writer…a wise and witty book, written with that beauty of style that Buechner readers have learned to expect…pure delight."
— The Chattanooga Times
"Whistling in the Dark is not so much a book to be read as savored. Buechner’s reflections and reminiscences are by turns moving, provocative, or fascinating—but always insightful. This could be called ‘devotional literature’ at its best…I find myself wanting to have it within easy reach for frequent treats of stimulation and fresh perspective."
— J. Randall Nichols, Princeton Theological Seminary
"Entertaining and useful…Buechner is very good at squeezing a lot of reflection into a few sentences…his insights, and expressions of them, are sharp."
— The Milwaukee Journal
