Scan barcode
caomhin's review against another edition
5.0
This is not going to be an easy review... Schrödinger's God is not a book I would imagine many people wanting to write, and I suspect it's a book that even fewer people could write. Luckily, Hugh Greene is one of the people with both the willing and the skills to deliver this book.
Let's start with the elephant in the room. Or more accurately the young girl and the priest in the prologue. Hold on though, don't react to that yet. There's a fair chance you have strong views about something like that appearing in a book. Take a deep breath, relax, and hang in there because somehow this book manage to walk the incredibly fine line of separating individuals and organisations. When I read the first few lines I held my breath certain that Greene would slip up and drop in a position that would offend someone, but against all odds he navigated that minefield sublimely.
How? Well the two protagonists help a lot. Both are extremely natural and relatable. We've seen before that Lynch's colleagues regard him as somewhat pious and preachy, but Power's presence has always muted that. That dynamic is only enhanced by the background for the story - the pair taking a pilgrimage along St James's Way. A devout man following a religious path, accompanied by his close friend who may not share his beliefs but respects both them and the man enough to join him on such a trip. This relationship gives Greene a broad scope to deal with religious issues in a calm, mature, and respectful manner. Both respect each other too much for any poorly thought out radical blatherings that would offend the other, or the reader. It is an incredible act of craftsmanship.
St James's Way is actually a superb metaphor for the book in general. You arrive expecting an easy stroll to your reward, then at times you realise it gets a bit harder but you're invested so you keep going, and at times you can feel quite uncomfortable but you persevere because you have faith it will all be worth it in the end.
And yeah, at times this book can be a bit more of a struggle. On page one you're faced with an ugly part of this world and much as you can let yourself be distracted by other events, it's always lurking in the shadows and there are times you can't avoid it. Also, Greene has never shied away from diving deep into the background topics of his books and depending on your background those sections can be fascinating, or in my case with this one just slightly dry and dense. I'm not a physicist but apparently I know enough about the subject that a review of it is a bit dry. And unfortunately we're talking about a deep enough subject it can take a couple of pages to get through a concept which personally, I found myself using as an excuse for a break and such. But, while they were slight energy slumps for me, they seemed a good guide to the subject and I know I've appreciated similar sections in previous books that dealt with topics I was less familiar with. In fact thinking about it that arises in this book too. That's the thing, most of the time when Greene educates they are brief and subtle lines that you glide over. I just suffered personally because probably the area that needs most time to explain is also one I am most aware of already, but not enough for it to really detract from the rest of the book.
And truly, the rest of the book is superb. Greene is one of those artists who manages to make everything seem simple and effortless, but the more you look at it the more detail you see, and the more you can't help but admire those delicate touches. His characters are human. They don't have a storytelling veneer, they are people. Plausible, recognisable, everyday people. He brings them to life and makes them interesting without turning them into fantastical parodies of life. The plot unfolds like a flower - you see petals while they are still tightly wrapped up and you smile when they take shape, but suddenly out of nowhere you have a full bloom and it still manages to surprise you. But without doubt, huge credit goes to handling such a sensitive topic so well. Yeah, the book may need a trigger warning for some just because the very mention of anything like that can be a problem, but for the rest of us? I strongly encourage you to walk the path of this book because it delivers. Incredibly, even with the background this book has, there are still some wry smiles to be found. The timing and placement of them is spot on - they don't diminish anything serious, they just give a little lift to your reading and keep the book from falling too far into darkness.
An incredible piece of writing. It may not always be the easiest thing to read and I am grateful that I could put it down and find some lighter respite at times, but it was impressive. And the more I think about it all the more impressive it gets.
Let's start with the elephant in the room. Or more accurately the young girl and the priest in the prologue. Hold on though, don't react to that yet. There's a fair chance you have strong views about something like that appearing in a book. Take a deep breath, relax, and hang in there because somehow this book manage to walk the incredibly fine line of separating individuals and organisations. When I read the first few lines I held my breath certain that Greene would slip up and drop in a position that would offend someone, but against all odds he navigated that minefield sublimely.
How? Well the two protagonists help a lot. Both are extremely natural and relatable. We've seen before that Lynch's colleagues regard him as somewhat pious and preachy, but Power's presence has always muted that. That dynamic is only enhanced by the background for the story - the pair taking a pilgrimage along St James's Way. A devout man following a religious path, accompanied by his close friend who may not share his beliefs but respects both them and the man enough to join him on such a trip. This relationship gives Greene a broad scope to deal with religious issues in a calm, mature, and respectful manner. Both respect each other too much for any poorly thought out radical blatherings that would offend the other, or the reader. It is an incredible act of craftsmanship.
St James's Way is actually a superb metaphor for the book in general. You arrive expecting an easy stroll to your reward, then at times you realise it gets a bit harder but you're invested so you keep going, and at times you can feel quite uncomfortable but you persevere because you have faith it will all be worth it in the end.
And yeah, at times this book can be a bit more of a struggle. On page one you're faced with an ugly part of this world and much as you can let yourself be distracted by other events, it's always lurking in the shadows and there are times you can't avoid it. Also, Greene has never shied away from diving deep into the background topics of his books and depending on your background those sections can be fascinating, or in my case with this one just slightly dry and dense. I'm not a physicist but apparently I know enough about the subject that a review of it is a bit dry. And unfortunately we're talking about a deep enough subject it can take a couple of pages to get through a concept which personally, I found myself using as an excuse for a break and such. But, while they were slight energy slumps for me, they seemed a good guide to the subject and I know I've appreciated similar sections in previous books that dealt with topics I was less familiar with. In fact thinking about it that arises in this book too. That's the thing, most of the time when Greene educates they are brief and subtle lines that you glide over. I just suffered personally because probably the area that needs most time to explain is also one I am most aware of already, but not enough for it to really detract from the rest of the book.
And truly, the rest of the book is superb. Greene is one of those artists who manages to make everything seem simple and effortless, but the more you look at it the more detail you see, and the more you can't help but admire those delicate touches. His characters are human. They don't have a storytelling veneer, they are people. Plausible, recognisable, everyday people. He brings them to life and makes them interesting without turning them into fantastical parodies of life. The plot unfolds like a flower - you see petals while they are still tightly wrapped up and you smile when they take shape, but suddenly out of nowhere you have a full bloom and it still manages to surprise you. But without doubt, huge credit goes to handling such a sensitive topic so well. Yeah, the book may need a trigger warning for some just because the very mention of anything like that can be a problem, but for the rest of us? I strongly encourage you to walk the path of this book because it delivers. Incredibly, even with the background this book has, there are still some wry smiles to be found. The timing and placement of them is spot on - they don't diminish anything serious, they just give a little lift to your reading and keep the book from falling too far into darkness.
An incredible piece of writing. It may not always be the easiest thing to read and I am grateful that I could put it down and find some lighter respite at times, but it was impressive. And the more I think about it all the more impressive it gets.
More...