literature

Book Review Time: The Messiah of Morris Avenue

Recently I read Tony Hendra’s debut novel The Messiah of Morris Avenueand found it to be a quite interesting read that I would suggest it to anyone who is interested in religion and/or politics. The ideas presented, especially the idea that our world is not tolerant to the message of peace, really resonated with me. Religion in all aspects has forever fascinated me: the good that it brings, the mysticism, the hypocracy, the evil that is done in the “name of God;” all of these aspects utterly amaze me, particularly how religion often provides a way and an excuse for the wicked to act even more wickedly.
While I am not a deeply religious person, I believe and acts as if “Ka is a wheel” and that we are all human beings deserving of love and respect, regardless of race, creed or color, as long as we in turn show love and respect towards all. Things do come full circle and its best to act with kindness for you never know when you’ll need kindness in return. I enjoy when anyone challenges traditional religious dogmatic thought, whether it be Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman series or Arthur C. Clarke’s The Light Of Other Days. The same way that The Master and Margarita plays with the idea of “What if the Devil came to Moscow but no one believed he was the Devil because they were all atheists,” this book plays with the idea of “What if Christ returned today yet no one believed that he was in fact Jesus?” I commend Hendra for putting down on paper such powerful ideas in such an entertaining manner. Hopefully this is just the start of good things for Hendra as he embarks on the novel writing part of his vast career.
Not only did I read the book, I spoke with the author which I find is always quite a treat. Coming later this week I will publish my expansive interview with Tony Hendra, the author of The Messiah of Morris Avenue. This is now the second WGTCTIP2 book review and author interview and I’m looking foward to doing this more often in the future.

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