SYNOPSIS
It begins with Peter, a devoted man of faith, as he is called to the mission of a lifetime, one that takes him galaxies away from his wife, Bea. Peter becomes immersed in the mysteries of an astonishing new environment, overseen by an enigmatic corporation known only as USIC. His work introduces him to a seemingly friendly native population struggling with a dangerous illness and hungry for Peter’s teachings—his Bible is their “book of strange new things.” But Peter is rattled when Bea’s letters from home become increasingly desperate: typhoons and earthquakes are devastating whole countries, and governments are crumbling. Bea’s faith, once the guiding light of their lives, begins to falter.
Suddenly, a separation measured by an otherworldly distance, and defined both by one newly discovered world and another in a state of collapse, is threatened by an ever-widening gulf that is much less quantifiable. While Peter is reconciling the needs of his congregation with the desires of his strange employer, Bea is struggling for survival. Their trials lay bare a profound meditation on faith, love tested beyond endurance, and our responsibility to those closest to us.
REVIEW
You know what the story is about from the synopsis above so there is no point in me retelling it to you. I had a difficult time reaching the end of this book due to the books monotonous plot. No storyline is developed where something of significance happens. Is there a reason that humans are residing on the planet Oasis because one is never mentioned. It is not like the planet is interesting or captivating to the eye it is only soil, no trees no animals, just one type of plant. Humans are not even studying the residents of Oasis. Also, the residents on this planet have this great need to know about Jesus, but why? Never find out. Another thing that made no sense was that the residents on the planet each wear a different color robe and there are hundreds of them with no resources how do they make the robes and come up with so many colors? Never find out.
I have read bad books in my life, but not one that had such a lifeless plot. There was no type of mystery, action, suspense, romance, intrigue, etc. to keep the reader interested; the same scenarios kept repeating. While reading the book the author created opportunities to arise that inspired an intriguing event to occur though they fizzled out before anything happened. This writer had created a base for a compelling story it is very disappointing that nothing came of it.
“Most true things are kind of corny, don’t you think? But we make them more sophisticated out of sheer embarrassment.”
Faber was born in The Hague, The Netherlands. He and his parents emigrated to Australia in 1967. He attended primary and secondary school in the Melbourne suburbs of Boronia and Bayswater, then attended the University Of Melbourne, studying Dutch, Philosophy, Rhetoric, English Language (a course involving translation and criticism of Anglo-Saxon and Middle English texts) and English Literature. He graduated in 1980. He worked as a cleaner and at various other casual jobs, before training as a nurse at Marrickville and Western Suburbs hospitals in Sydney. He nursed until the mid-1990s.
Authors Link
