Tuesday, July 15, 2008

InsideCatholic Book Circle

Ron Hansen's novel Exiles is being discussed at InsideCatholic. All are invited to participate. I have finished the book but am still gathering my thoughts about it. It started out beautifully, loaded with historical detail and poetic descriptions about Gerard Manley Hopkins' experiences with Jesuits. Towards the end it took a prosaic course and started reading more like a biography. It entwines the writing of Hopkins' poem "The Wreck of the Deutschland" with the stories of five German nuns whose lives were lost in the sea disaster. They die a violent death; Hopkins' death is slower but, like the nuns' final end, is caused indirectly by his consecration of himself in the religious life. The novel delves into the heart of self-offering to God and the utter immolation that is the result. Share

No comments: