Reviewed by Ashley Merrill
I must first start by saying that Paul Midden, a first time author, has a very special talent for writing. His writing and ability to keep the reader interested throughout the entire book are not qualities that I have found many first time authors have. As with anything, perfection takes time and practice. The book gods were smiling down on Paul while he was writing because this is a spectacular fiction book. From page one I was drawn in to his choice of characters, the story line, and his use of description.Radko is a man with a soul that is pulling him in two opposite directions. He loves being a priest and feels that it is his life’s calling, but at the same time he finds himself captivated by an ex student of his, Ursula. He finds he cannot choose between the two, so together, he and Ursula find a way so that he can have both, and thus, a double life is created. Because Radko is Catholic, he cannot marry if he is to be a priest. He makes the dangerous decision to live a ways away from where he works so that people at his church will not find out about his marriage.
The plot thickens as Radko finds out Ursula is pregnant with twins and as the years go by Ursula is becoming uncertain if she wants to continue keeping her husband’s career a secret from their children. To add a wrench in this already sticky situation, Radko is offered a position as a high ranking bishop, which means moving his family to a different state and not being able to live with them.
Keeping the chapters to less than 10 pages a piece, Paul Midden’s wonderful talent for writing keeps the reader saying “okay, one more chapter, just let me read one more chapter”, and before you know it you’ve read a couple hundred pages in one sitting. For those of us who are not too familiar with the ways of the Catholics, he does a great job at explaining it without getting preachy or too confusing. Paul Midden allows the reader to become intimate with the characters and to feel emotions that they are feeling as they go through their struggles in life. I think that is what makes this such a powerful book, allowing the reader to feel as though we’ve known the characters as well as any of our friends.
I would
recommend this book to anyone who is looking for an excellent and non
challenging read. It is one of those
novels that are purely and simply there for the readers’ enjoyment. The reader also gets a little bit of
information about the sacrifices that Catholic priests, bishops, etc.
have to
make in order to do their life’s calling. This is hands down a five
star story.