david_rhee's profile picture

david_rhee 's review for:

The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene
4.0

The Power and the Glory begins with the perfect pace. Unhurried, it never lingers. Frequent scene changes are orderly. Details are given fine treatment yet the reader is moved along briskly. It all seemed cinematic, a feeling I remember from reading Saul Bellow novels.

The backdrop is Mexico in the midst of a persecution of the Catholic church. The unnamed priest who is on the run for most of the novel is a hero unlike any other. He is dependent upon alcohol. He has fathered a daughter he barely knows. He sees himself as an utterly unworthy figure, but it is this bare honesty with himself and with others which elevates him. In the interaction of his characters, Greene oversees a variety of questions revolving around the dangers of pious religiosity and what constitutes real sin. All of this comes to a head in a tense back and forth between the priest and another prominent character.

This is my first sampling of Graham Greene, a writer I've wanted to read for a long time. He is well-traveled and a brilliant storyteller. He blends action, depth, and scenery with great skill. Highly recommended.