HURTLE OF HELL
Simon Edge (Eye)
When Stefano Cartwight is on death’s door after nearly drowning on his beach holiday in the Canary Islands, he sees the eye of God in his near-death moments. This came as a shock, considering he’d been a self-proclaimed atheist since the age of 14, as everyone who knew him could verify. The only person more shocked, perhaps, is God himself, peering down his celestial telescope, experiencing for the first time anyone ever seeming to have seen him back.
This light-hearted thought experiment by Simon Edge delves into the religious unknown, giving a twist to theistic writing that will make you smile. It does so without too much condescension, though not entirely without it, and successfully balances Edge’s research in near-death experiences with a fun and narrative storyline. Most impressively, it gives a voice to God that retains and combines a uniquely human flare with hilarious detachment, with statements like, “It was rare enough to raise Earth a good deal higher on God’s list of rocks worth keeping tabs on.”
I was skeptical of the voice of God at first, thinking it was unlikely that it would be able to keep up its comedic tone throughout, but I was pleasantly surprised. In spite of being a relatively otherworldly novel in terms of content and storyline, it still has its roots firmly planted in the real world, which is admirable considering how easy it might have been to get lost in this celestial realm. This is a stimulating yet entertaining story of self-exploration and redemption, as well as a recognition of the way religion deals with homosexuality in modern society. MEGAN THOMAS
Price: £8.99. Info: eye-books.com
