Three years ago I received the first novel by David Athey, Danny Gospel a novel I thoroughly enjoyed. His new novel Christopher
explores some similar themes, but not a repeat in any way.
The story follows Christopher starting at the age of eleven. Christopher is a lover of nature and does more than to stop to smell the roses, but to really look at a rose. His parents are a sort of hold out from the sixties with his mother being into alternative therapies and vegetarianism. Christopher comes to meet a young girl from a Catholic family whose Catholicism is quite fervent.
This basic plot sounds like a setup of sort with a critique of the sixties and what will obviously happen with Christopher contact with this Catholic family. Though this is not how this story really plays out at all and transcends a setup plot to be something much more fulfilling. The story really kept me guessing and invested into it. Christopher is sort of haunted by contact with a series of Catholic girls in his young adult life and struggles between seeing the theological reality of something and seeing himself in that theological reality himself. His introduction to stories on Grail Knights spark his imagination, and while the novel refers to him as a young knight, he is not a young knight without struggles or temptations. The novel is very frank about these struggles which go beyond silly teenage angst but speak more of the human condition and specifically the struggle towards manhood.
I enjoyed the characters throughout the novel and Christopher’s parents are not simple stereotypes, but fully fleshed characters that contribute to the story. A well told novel that while having a good amount of Catholic red meat in it is enjoyable on several levels.
3 comments
Jeff! I use to joke around during the good old days that they would someday be making a movie about my life and who ever was around listening to me, I would say something like, hey, you might even get to play yourself in “IT” if you’re lucky!
Looking back NOW, call me crazy but most of my reality spiritual cells would be able to play me cause believe “IT” or “NOT” GOD can make “IT” possible and/or if we like, this jessus cell of mine would simply give U>S (usual sinners) our wish of “Euthanasia”, “Abortion” and go figure for those who want to worship the A.S.S. , a special wish for them could be made in “TIME”. Go figure but this so called jessus could convince Annoying Super Sinners in the flesh and then peter would simply need to get behind jesus and do his thing if you get my drift but trust me that so called jesus is very Nickel list Cagegy indeed. For example if that jesus was to ask a Roman human who’s picture was on the coin in a parelhell dimention and was told that “IT” was Cease her, “I” mean ‘Julius Caesar’, this jesus would in reality be thinking that He was truly lying cause He would know that after every ions were spiritually and in reality dissected, The Truth would be that “GOD” (Good Old Dad) owns “IT” all but then there’s no such thing as a bad “Jesus” is there NOW?
Hey Jeff! I’ll leave you with this song that my father-in-law got me to sing at the hotel that he was working at in 1970. How could “I” say no when he was the head bouncer and had already pre-arranged “IT” with The Band. Anyway he really loved that song and when I sang “IT’ you would have thought that “IT” was “Bill Anderson” singing and believe “IT” or “NOT”, the band made no mistakes while “I” sang “IT”. Go Figure!
“Poor folks” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0p_W6JnFK0
I hear ya! There’s no humility in you sinner vic cause “IT” is all humidity!
Go Figure folks! Victor agrees! 🙂
Peace
SHALOM
CHRISTOPHER by David Athey is my new favorite book! Thanks Curt for letting us know about it!
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