A chapter or two in, I realised...I've read this one before some time back. That faint familiar feeling, and the lack of surprise as the virtual pages were read (Pretty effectively By Robert Daley). It is funny how we sometimes find ourselves drawn to the same old books unknowingly.
In this case, the fact that I had read before did not deter me. Though the who-done-it mystery was gone, and the plot twists were not cloaked, the story was indeed engaging.
The story revolves around four high school boys,, members of the swimming team and close friends at a Catholic High School in New York City. The death of a grown up version of one of these boys instigates an investigation. The story shifts often from the distant past and the current investigation, and the author is quite adept and this shifting in time and place.
Enjoyable on many levels, my impression after rereading was that the story was quite engaging and well told, both by the author and the vocal talent. The story too, touches a nerve and memories of my Catholic youth.
Though I never attended a Catholic High School or Jesuit College as did the 4 main characters of this story, many of my friends did. Though the Jesuit brainwashing these boys encountered never took place for me, I am familiar with much of the process. All this helped make the story quite vivid in my mind.
The character Frank Redmond could have been someone I knew in my youth. I remember meeting someone at Phoenix College who applied to seminary to become a priest. I remember how awkward and young he seemed, and his choosing a life of religious dedication and celibacy really bothered me at the time. I remember saying a prayer to my Heavenly Father to protect this vessel that he had set apart. My youthful experience with priests was not evil or suspect, but I never did feel comfortable in that world. Though my brothers were altar boys, and at least one attended Catholic High School, I never felt comfortable in that world and never walked those paths.
Good story. This was not so much a murder mystery, it was more a study of faith and growing up under the influence of Catholicism. It was also a love story, and the effects of the Catholic church on sensitive and susceptible Catholic youths.
Two thumbs up if this type of story interests you.
Cheers...NCA
P.S. On the subject of Confession: I remember my 'First Confession' as a Catholic in Catholic elementary school. It just never took for me. I think at most I may have done the act of Confession two or three times after the initial, and never since I finished elementary school. My adopted religion has a policy on something akin to confession too. However, I can not personally adhere to confession to an interceding party in either form. My sins don't tend to be extremely serious in nature. In the world of sins, mine would be mostly of a personal nature, though certainly I am sure I have sinned too against my neighbor. My sins against God himself would be rare. It seems that if I am to sin to harm myself, then I should deal with those on my own. If I should sin against my neighbor, then my confession should be to my neighbor. Those against God, those are the ones that might, in theory, require an intercessor...but I prefer to deal directly with my Heavenly Father on those.
What is your opinion on this subject?
No comments:
Post a Comment