Caterina's Reviews > Father Elijah: An Apocalypse

”Christ in Gethsemane,” Michael D. O’Brien

An apocalypse is a work of literature dealing with the end of human history. For millennia, apocalypses of various sorts have arisen throughout the world in the cultural life of many peoples and religions. They are generated by philosophical speculations, by visions of the future, or by inarticulate longings and apprehensions, and not infrequently, by the abiding human passion for what J.R.R. Tolkien called subcreation. These poems, epics, fantasies, myths, and prophetic works bear a common witness to man’s transient state upon the earth. Man is a stranger and sojourner. His existence is inexpressibly beautiful and dangerous. It is fraught with mysteries that beg to be deciphered. The Greek word apocalypsos means an uncovering or revealing. Through such revelations man gazes into the panorama of human history in search of the key to his identity; in search of permanence and completion. — from Michael D. O’Brien’s Introduction to this novel

This moving apocalyptic journey was, to me, a story of friendship, and sometimes sacrificial love — with nods to The Lord of the Rings. (It may also be inspired by Lord of the World which I haven’t read yet.) It was a joy to find a living novelist who treats the Catholic faith, the sacraments — and faithfulness itself — earnestly. I loved the way dreams, visions, angels are woven into the tale seamlessly. The audiobook — audio drama, really — by voice actor Kevin O’Brien — was phenomenal and addictive — even if the Polish-Israeli Father Elijah sounded a bit British and the President of the European Parliament sounded American. Overall, the novel is uneven, but powerful, redeeming some of its own flaws. I think it was O’Brien’s first novel.

At times, the prose sings. The closest relationships -- Elijah’s friendships with his fellow priest Billy and the European Supreme Court Justice, Anna, come alive -- mostly through intimate conversations. Much of the novel is dialogue. A deathbed exchange with the infamous Count Smokrev is deeply moving — perhaps inspired by Dostoevsky. (view spoiler)[On the other hand, the book’s central confrontation between Elijah and the suave but murderous President seems clunky. Leading up to that watershed event, O’Brien let his hero struggle a bit with the world leader’s intellectual seduction, but I wondered whether there shouldn’t have been more of a struggle.

The second part of the novel is slower but more profound. In mourning, in hiding, seemingly unsuccessful in his mission, Elijah is brought up against Nothingness. I’m not sure I’ve ever read a descent into darkness so convincingly written. (Well maybe in O’Brien's fellow Irish Catholic Cormac McCarthy’s novels … ) Elijah's dark journey follows right on the heels of a wondrous archaeological discovery, a profound consolation and confirmation in faith. Why, Elijah wonders, do such consolations always fade, why are they never enough? What is it about human nature? Augustine once wondered the same. This is not the end, however. The novel’s conclusion creatively connects the title character with biblical stories of the Prophet Elijah’s desert experience, and the Book of Revelation, aka Apocalypse. (hide spoiler)]

Caveat: (view spoiler)[One minor character gave me serious pause. A supposedly heroic American Catholic priest-journalist-editor gets in trouble for refusing to publish dissident opinions that he believes are not in keeping with the teachings of the Church. But the way he dismissed discussions of important issues bothered me. As just one example: Father Smith mocked calls for the Pope to apologize to people the Church has wronged. I don’t understand this. Saint John Paul II — seemingly the model for the nameless pope in this book — was famous for traveling all over the world and making apologies to many groups of people. Popes Benedict and Francis have followed in his footsteps. (hide spoiler)]

I did not plan to read this book, but I’m glad I did, and definitely will read more of O’Brien’s works. My plan was actually to read first his Strangers and Sojourners which seemed to be calling to me. But while waiting for S&S to arrive in the mail I took an auditory “peek” at this book on the Formed.org app — and was hooked.

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Image source: https://www.ncregister.com/interview/...