Review: Detaching from the powerful orbit of the church
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 27, 2011
Kron's delineation of a man of the cloth--his main character Peter--is extraordinary. From beginning to end, there is identification with him. This is because the reader wants to understand the mystery surrounding his suicide attempt, his amnesia, his association with and beliefs concerning religion and the church, which all become so personal that at the end, the reader cannot help but feel as he does--that all we need to do is exercise our minds and bodies while living peacefully; that after we love and take care of ourselves, we spread that love to family and friends, making them feel important, which in turn makes us feel important for with so many people in the world, we feel insignificant and what could be more important than to feel needed? This is Peter's ultimate realization, his summary of what religion or God should really mean to people--which makes him a heretic for the church doesn't need psychological lectures--it only requires people to follow two-thousand-year-old dictates from people who thought the world unmovable and flat.The strengths of this novel are to be found in the author's characterization of Peter, and its literary scholarship. Peter as lawyer turned priest still not liking the life he was living for he was a sensitive person and couldn't live a lie thus attempting to start a modern church and later trying to kill himself when that became impossible brings to the reader a very real character. A man of the cloth believing religion is immoral, that the church's thinking is insane, is quite the memorable character. Religious themes can often amount to grim reading but the reader becomes so engaged with this story, coming to feel like Peter does, that the "Church doesn't have a monopoly on wisdom. Philosophers, writers, and scientists have all provided us with ample wisdom that far exceeds the glorious wisdom of the church." The reader admires Peter's courage in accepting and declaring there's a better Way--acknowledging before the big guns that religion doesn't make sense to him--that it's simply madness--that he'd rather live as a beggar before returning to the church. The Bishop laughs at his realizations. The monsignor admits that if he had the mindset of Peter, he'd have to believe the devil took possession of his body, taking him on a path straight to hell. Two thousand years of brainwashing have had a huge impact on the minds of people who have forgotten how to think--but Peter hasn't.And so, the life of the church continues on as always but Peter has made his choice--walking outside into the sunny day with a smile, symbolically killing God. A novel that shifts the centre of understanding and religious consciousness.