The Saint of Bright Doors
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Description
A 2023 New York Times Notable Book
“The best book I've read all year. Protean, singular, original.” ―Amal El-Mohtar for the New York Times
The Saint of Bright Doors sets the high drama of divine revolutionaries and transcendent cults against the mundane struggles of modern life, resulting in a novel that is revelatory and resonant.
Fetter was raised to kill, honed as a knife to cut down his sainted father. This gave him plenty to talk about in therapy.
He walked among invisible powers: devils and anti-gods that mock the mortal form. He learned a lethal catechism, lost his shadow, and gained a habit for secrecy. After a blood-soaked childhood, Fetter escaped his rural hometown for the big city, and fell into a broader world where divine destinies are a dime a dozen.
Everything in Luriat is more than it seems. Group therapy is recruitment for a revolutionary cadre. Junk email hints at the arrival of a god. Every door is laden with potential, and once closed may never open again. The city is scattered with Bright Doors, looming portals through which a cold wind blows. In this unknowable metropolis, Fetter will discover what kind of man he is, and his discovery will rewrite the world.
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Posts
Maybe the weirdest fantasy novel I ever read. I'm still not sure, what it wanted to tell me. Maybe part of the difficulties where cultural: I'm not very familar with South Asia and its history - and so its plausible, I missed some hints. But over all, I had difficulties following the story - and even understanding the described world. - There was a theocratic, fundamentalist state with a Kafkaesk punishment system, something about parallel universes, a plague with quarantine measures, that reminded on Corona, and something about being chosen - or not. There were aspects, I really liked: the support-group for un-chosen, the endless prison, the unplugged ringing telephone, ... but it did not fit together, I lost the thread and somehow also the interest.
Description
A 2023 New York Times Notable Book
“The best book I've read all year. Protean, singular, original.” ―Amal El-Mohtar for the New York Times
The Saint of Bright Doors sets the high drama of divine revolutionaries and transcendent cults against the mundane struggles of modern life, resulting in a novel that is revelatory and resonant.
Fetter was raised to kill, honed as a knife to cut down his sainted father. This gave him plenty to talk about in therapy.
He walked among invisible powers: devils and anti-gods that mock the mortal form. He learned a lethal catechism, lost his shadow, and gained a habit for secrecy. After a blood-soaked childhood, Fetter escaped his rural hometown for the big city, and fell into a broader world where divine destinies are a dime a dozen.
Everything in Luriat is more than it seems. Group therapy is recruitment for a revolutionary cadre. Junk email hints at the arrival of a god. Every door is laden with potential, and once closed may never open again. The city is scattered with Bright Doors, looming portals through which a cold wind blows. In this unknowable metropolis, Fetter will discover what kind of man he is, and his discovery will rewrite the world.
Book Information
Posts
Maybe the weirdest fantasy novel I ever read. I'm still not sure, what it wanted to tell me. Maybe part of the difficulties where cultural: I'm not very familar with South Asia and its history - and so its plausible, I missed some hints. But over all, I had difficulties following the story - and even understanding the described world. - There was a theocratic, fundamentalist state with a Kafkaesk punishment system, something about parallel universes, a plague with quarantine measures, that reminded on Corona, and something about being chosen - or not. There were aspects, I really liked: the support-group for un-chosen, the endless prison, the unplugged ringing telephone, ... but it did not fit together, I lost the thread and somehow also the interest.