Maybe so, but if so, one would have to say that he is barking up the wrong tree. If there is a problem of spirituality as we move into the new century, it has less to do with a failing in the spirit than in the flesh. It is always a mistake to go beyond the end of a book, but if Mr. Doctorow were to write a sequel, picking up his new life as a Jew and husband of a brilliant young Rabbi, one has the impression that it would result in the same kind of ennui which propels the failed Episcopal priest. It is fairly safe to say that if Pem was dissatisfied with the God of Christianity, he would never be able to adjust to the God of Abraham. As one thinks about Pem's last screed, one is struck with the realization that Pem has not lost his faith in God, but rather his respect for God because he cannot understand or condone the suffering which has occurred in the world.
Faith exists and is demonstrated in areas of doubt.
We have faith in God in spite of our inability to understand all divine actions, not because we have figured things out. It won't work, and one suspects that Doctorow himself doesn't understand that, because if he did, the artist in him would have insisted on dropping a few hints along the way that Pem's problem is more in himself than in God. Buy it, because you'll want to keep it, even if you don't find it as satisfying as his earlier works. To see earlier reviews, click on The Blockhead Book Stacks.