Book Recommendation: Judging Athena

 

Angels make an appearance in Southern literature from time to time.  Southern poetry of the early and mid 19^th century (e. g., Edgar A. Poe, Paul H. Hayne, Louisa McCord) seems to feature them most often; in many of those cases they appear to be imbued with the attributes given to them by the non-Christian Romantics of that time.  The latter were fascinated by the supernatural.  They had a strong yearning to encounter the spiritual world after the soul-drought they had experienced because of the scientific ‘Enlightenment’.  Their interactions with angelic beings (whether imaginative or otherwise, whether with actual angels or with their fallen brethren) gave them a way to do that without at the same time recognizing the Holy Trinity as the True God.  Spirit-beings became false gods for them to worship.

Perrin Lovett, a contemporary Southern author, takes the angel motif and puts it to a much better use in his newest novel Judging Athena.  Through one New England man’s encounter with an angel (in the guise of a woman), the reader is given a glimpse into truer angelology, one that unfolds through an innocent love story.

Southern novels for many years have been heavily marked by violence and cursing.  This story is refreshingly different.  One is able to enjoy mundane things like the taste of pancakes, or walk amongst the summits of Orthodox theology, showing how husbands and wives contribute to the salvation of one another, without unnecessary shocks to the soul.

Returning to Mr Poe, his combination of melancholy and beauty is one of his most powerful contributions to literature.  Mr Lovett’s use of this device elevates it to new heights at the end of his story:  The tragic beauty of those scenes sears the heart with descriptions that the reader will not soon forget.

Judging Athena is a truly redemptive and rewarding novel to read.  We recommend it to all.

Available from Shotwell Publishing.

--

Holy Ælfred the Great, King of England, South Patron, pray for us sinners at the Souð, unworthy though we are!

Anathema to the Union!