The Sparrow

This book floored me. It's well written, plausible, well paced and filled with interesting characters. Even if you don't usually like science fiction there's a good chance you'll enjoy this story. The sequel is good too.

Beautifully written with characters that jump out at you. I loved them all, Emilio , Jimmy, Sofia. The priests. I miss them. I felt for them. I wanted to stay with them for a bit longer. The book examines faith in the spirit of stories such as Silence movie with Liam Neeson where priests on a mission to a foreign culture are led to torture and questioning themselves and faith but Emilio questioned his faith in different ways in different stages of his life too. The characters question their morality deeply and at the heart of it is Emilio whose faith and love are tested and shattered so painfully.

You see, that is my dilemma. Because if I was led by God to love God, step by step, as it seemed, if I accept that the beauty and the rapture were real and true, then the rest of it was God’s will too, and that, gentlemen, is cause for bitterness. But if I am simply a deluded ape who took a lot of old folktales far too seriously, then I brought all this on myself and my companions and the whole business becomes farcical, doesn’t it.

This is a memorable book with big questions, lots of great cultural and linguistic detail and great characters. It's a wise and shattering read. Not easy but one that provokes thinking and makes me really attached to characters. The characters felt complete and full with full backgrounds properly exolored. The suspense was fantastic.

The ending drove home Emilio's struggles. I never felt it went overboard, with this pacing all was revealed in the right way, with the right time and mood. The narration shifting between the present and the last both stirred curiosity and prepared me for the final blows. The build up and repercussions went very well together.

I really loved Jimmy and Sofia. And Emilio. And Anne. And George.