Published by Revell Publishing Genres: Christian Fiction, Fiction, thriller
Format: ARC, eBook
“Through me is the way to the city of woe.
Through me is the way to sorrow eternal.
Through me is the way to the lost below. Justice moved my architect supernal.
I was constructed by divine power,
supreme wisdom, and love primordial.
Before me no created things were.
Save those eternal, and eternal I abide.
Abandon all hope, you who enter.”
― Dante Alighieri, Inferno
Dan has long ago escaped the captivity of the mountain but has waited in the nearby town for his brother, Adam to join him. For some reason, others have left the mountain, but Adam has not. Adam has been waiting for a long time for his brother, what he doesn’t know is that others in the town have been waiting as well.
“It’s the kind of place you have to leave o your own. Everyone who has ever left has battled their own way out. In this place, our guilt consumes us.”
This is a very thought-provoking book that looks at guilt, grief, personal demons, anger, etc. It is a nod to Dante’s Inferno (if you haven’t figured that out already). I found it to be beautifully written and atmospheric. My advice is to go into this as blind as possible knowing nothing more than the small synopsis. This is Christian fiction, which I did not know when I requested the book. I was intrigued by the synopsis. You should be as well. I found this to be well written, a little slow in the middle but I acknowledge that this book is about a journey and journeys are not always fast-moving. There are beautiful passages that drip with despair, guilt, and hope.
“…I went deeper than that. Deeper than the floor of the house, deeper than the foundations of the canyon, deeper than the dreams or nightmares or memories. I stayed there in that depth, and I slept like I never have before and will probably never sleep again, there on the edge of the river.”
I am purposely not saying much more about the storyline. What I will say that I found it to be intriguing, captivating, thought-provoking, and well thought out.
A journey that is not to be missed.
Thank you to Revell Publishing and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.