Easter

A thought-provoking read for believers and non-believers alike, Arditti has written a devastating portrait of the Church of England today, exploring the nature of God, the existance of evil and the problem of suffering. Taking the form of a triptych the story covers Holy Week from Palm Sunday to Easter Day within one inner London parish, and the events which tear apart the lives of the clergy and parishioners in a latter-day Passion story.

An exploration of faith and organised religion told via the stories of a couple of dozen people linked in some way to the parish of an Anglican church in Hampstead with healthy dose of HIV added in. The first fifty pages are the best start to a book I have ever read. The rest of the novel might not keep up that amazing standard but it doesn't lose sight of it. Wonderful book.

If I were still a believer, I think I would have enjoyed this book a great deal. As a non-believer I just found all the doubt and mysterious workings of God ponderous and dull. The characters and situations were interesting though.

The easter story told in a totally different way with a bit of satire on the Church of England thrown in.

I can only say read it!