Hey there, bookworms! Happy Monday! It’s the start of yet another week and I have to admit, I’m already on vacation brain. I’m just counting down to my trip and trying to get some books read. Damn adulting and reality getting in the way of… everything else.
Anyway, I have another review for you guys for a novel I finished the other day and just haven’t gotten a chance to review for you yet. I’m trying to keep my finished books to be reviewed balanced with the books I still need to finish for review by certain dates, and right now, I feel like I’m failing a little bit. If I’m being honest, trying to write a full review after a full work day plus commuting and just all the shenanigans that come with moving throughout the minutes and hours is fairly brutal. I do try my best to convey proper thoughts to you all and my apologies if I’m rambling incoherently most of the time!
Goodness. Enough of my blabbing. Let’s get to tonight’s review before I just waste all of your precious time. This novel comes from another one of my review requests from author Brian Kindall and it’s called Delivering Virtue. This is the first work of his I read, and if I could come up with only one word to describe this book, I think it’d be whimsical. I knew when I began the book that I’d be in for a journey of sorts, but I wasn’t quite sure what that would entail. It was quite the adventure.
Didier Rain has been chosen for a special mission. Entrusted by The Church of The Restructured Truth to care for and guide a tiny baby by the name of Virtue across the American Wilderness where she will then be passed off to her betrothed, the Prophet Nehi, Rain feels in over his head, but up for the challenge. The pair are in for a treacherous journey, but as the reader, I couldn’t help but learn from Rain’s triumphs and pitfalls.
As they make their way west, I got a sense of the inner workings of Didier’s mind. As Kindall describes, he’s had an Oedipal upbringing, which drives him to act the way he does in the face of danger or any sort of obstacle. He longs to be a gentleman, to be a poet, and have a sense of right and wrong, but when stuck between a rock and a hard place (pun intended, I suppose), he always seems to go with his baser, animal instincts. At points throughout the tale, I had to wonder where he would draw a line when it came to his feelings and urges, but I waited for nothing. Without giving too much away, I can’t help but say that I was torn between being appalled and yet enchanted by Didier.
He and Virtue encounter quite a number of characters throughout the course of their journey, and each one contributes to molding the characters into what we are left with in the end. I was amazed by Virtue’s silent resilience, and found myself learning a lot from such a small child.
All-in-all, this book had a bit of everything for me. While I’m not religious by any means, I couldn’t help but be fascinated by the more spiritual aspect held within the pages. Parts of this story had a hint of cultish behavior which, admittedly, I’m obsessed with learning about. Mix that with an epic journey much like those we all read about in our World Lit classes, an elegant and almost lyrical writing style, and some seemingly philosophical poetry, and you’ve got yourselves one hell of a book.
I can’t say quite what I was expecting when I took this one on to review, but I’m thrilled I was given the chance to experience such a fun, wild, and engrossing story!
Until next time, guys. Happy reading!
My Final Review: four out of five stars
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