Knowledge of Angels review

[alobear]

 Knowledge of Angels by Jill Paton Walsh was another book resulting from my perusal of all the Booker shortlists.  It takes a little while to get going, and seems to be a flimsy story thrown together to provide a framework from which to hang a philosophical discussion about the nature of faith.  In the second half, the plot becomes more engaging (two strands - one about a feral child being taught how to be human, the other about an atheist washed up on the shore of a religious island where the authorities debate whether or not to burn him as a heretic).  The two plots interlink quite cleverly, though an act of kindness in one leads to a horrific conclusion to the other, which is a shame since I had had high hopes of a different ending based on where things appeared to be heading.  Still, all the philosophy is very interesting, the characters are well-drawn, and the writing (though a little remote to begin with) is good.

Not a book I'd necessarily thrust upon others to read, but not bad overall.