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J. Nolen Clements
Author
Points in Time
It is 1950 when Daren and Jayson meet in the first grade. They form a young friendship that is brought to an early disruption which separates them for eight and one-half years. Then they are reunited into a strengthened friendship that lasts a lifetime. From the beginning, we get to know each of them, their friends, families and others by experiencing with them the points in the times of their lives that shape and mold them into the individuals they are destined to be; the happenings, the relationships, the faith, the mystery, the joys, the setbacks, the mistakes, the accomplishments, the love, the sadness; and along the way and ultimately, the events that could change all that has been told. The setting begins in a small north Mississippi town in the mid twentieth century with proximity and connections to the Memphis area, but as the story unfolds it extends to more of the USA and briefly to other places in the world. This is a Christian novel inspired by true events and eternal Truth, with social and faith issues of the area and the nation interwoven into the fabric of the story. A major theme is the sanctity of life.
Reviews
Clements’s deep dive into mid-century Mississippi offers a coming-of-age story that follows the growth of two boys, Daren Whaid and Jayson Chastain, from adolescence, through young adulthood, marriage, and parenthood, right up until their retirements. Through their childhoods, the boys' experience the trials common to many young, white men of their time and place: making good school grades, coming into their Christian faith, working part-time jobs, playing sports, meeting and wooing girls, facing the shadow of war, and growing conscious of the inequity of segregation. Even as rifts develop between them, Daren and Jayson continue to return to each other's sides as constant sources of friendship.

With great detail,Clements transports readers into these young men’s world, though his deep interest in side characters and heavy use of exposition to set scenes and establish the milieu leads to a story that’s more ruminative than a page turner. Clements is fascinated by the mundane or trivial activities of everyday life, such as what it was like to work at a Kreme Kone restaurant, which reinforces the title’s suggestion that it’s focus is on “points in time.” The novel’s often formal tone and grammar—most characters speak without contractions in their dialogue—may keep some readers from connecting to Clements's people, as may the fact that a pronounced Southern dialect (“What y’all pay?”) mostly only comes from the mouths of the Black characters, such as the young men Daren is eager to invite to join his football team.

Most alluring is Clements’s narrative structure. The mystery and suspense of the story rivets the reader as they bounce in between alternate timelines, which in the end ties the book’s theme of the sanctity of life together well. Clements’s scenes, character development, and contemplation of moral issues are the book’s heart. The bucolic towns and familiar tensions of growing up will tug at the heartstrings of readers seeking a glimpse of mid-century Americana with an emphasis on faith.

Takeaway: A deep and idyllic escape into mid-century Americana, powered by a sweet friendship of two boys and the complexities of life.

Great for fans of: John Grisham’s A Painted House, David Halberstam’s The Fifties, Sue Monk Kidd’s The Secret Life of Bees.

Production grades
Cover: C+
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B
Marketing copy: B

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