Island of the World - Book Review

 

Short Review

Island of the World by Michael D. O'Brien is a work of historical fiction that follows its central character, Josip Lasta of Croatia, from his early childhood during World War II all the way into his old age in the early third millennium. It is an absolute masterpiece of literary achievement - in historical fiction, in Christian fiction, in 21st-century writing, you name it. It will take you into very darkest reaches of human suffering, and offer you the only true salve mankind has ever possessed for this suffering: our Lord Jesus Christ.

Long Review

I just finished reading Island of the World based on a glowing recommendation from an author for whom I already have a great deal of respect, Katie Schuermann of the Anthems of Zion trilogy. If you have glanced at reviews for this book at all, as I did, you may be a bit skeptical of the praise given to the novel. It is described as life-changing and incredibly powerful. It is framed as a masterpiece, a triumph, and so on and so forth.

It's all true.

I wonder if, every fifty years or so, the Lord raises up a Christian man to write a work of fiction to help guide the faithful and point them back to Christ, a burning candle amid all the darkness of this fallen and falling world. 

In the 1950s, it was Tolkien. In the 2000s, it was O'Brien.

To me, Island of the World is so good for three chief reasons.

First, it boldly and beautifully and masterfully tells the story of the greatest joys of human experience, and the very darkest depths of mankind. This is part of what makes the book so moving; it allows the reader to explore the darkest fears and the highest joys that mankind shares. I have never experienced emotional lows in a novel like I had with this book, nor had I experienced highs nearly as glorious.

Second, the novel explores this full range of human life with absolutely masterful storytelling. The book is beautifully written, engaging, well-researched, and life-like. The characters are three-dimensional and viscerally real. The story is beautifully paced and plotted. With O'Brien, you are in the hands of a master of his craft.

Third and most importantly, Island of the World is about Jesus Christ. The vast majority of fiction is going to find some solution to its deepest questions that comes from man. O'Brien knows the only true answer has already been given to us by God. This clarity of vision means that we are able to face the lowest points of the novel (for there are many), and our own fears and darkness. We are presented with the one solution that actually works: the crucifixion and resurrection of the Son of God.

Island of the World is a gift. It offers the gift of perspective, using human suffering to help the reader gain context for the difficulties of his own life. It offers the gift of wisdom, as O'Brien's firmly Scriptural approach leads to nuggets of insight into God and his place in the world, insight that sometimes causes the reader to physically lay down its pages and simply marvel for a moment. Finally, it offers the gift of love; that is, our Father in heaven.

For those who are curious, this is certainly an adult book and I would not recommend it to a child. Ideally, the reader would be a husband and a father, as I think this novel has the most to say men in this position like me. Finally, the author is Roman Catholic, and so the novel contains those theological issues that are part and parcel with the church of the pope. Despite this, O'Brien is clearly a genuine Christian with a clearer understanding than most regarding the centrality of the forgiveness of sins, eternal life, the Sacrament of the Altar, prayer, the Christian life, and much more.

I will probably not pick up this book again for a few years. Though it is finished, I continue to dwell on the events that unfolded within, which have impacted me and, in some small way, become part of me. This is a heavy read in every sense of the word, and it will be some time before I am ready to take it up again. Suffering, even second-hand, requires a little time to process. As does the blessed hope of everlasting life through our Lord Jesus Christ.

10/10