Each of us must choose...
I'm just going to be honest right up front. Even now, a few days after finishing, I still have no clue what to make of this book. The storytelling was good and kept me engaged, but...I just didn't get it.
When I started reading These Nameless Things I assumed it would be a suspense in the vein of Ted Dekker, and it sort of was. But, even more than that it's an allegory and is loosely based on Dante's The Divine Comedy. And that's where I got a bit lost. First, I've always been terrible with understanding allegory as my concrete mind tends to take fiction at face value. Second, I know pretty much nothing about The Divine Comedy, other than it was quite political in its day.
So, where does that leave me? I can honestly say that I did like the book in general. At the end I had many more questions, about almost everything, than I did answers. But, the message that really stood out to me is that every single one of us are bound by chains of loss, guilt, pain, regret, denial, etc. and that each of us must choose whether we will break free of those chains or let them drag us deeper into the pit.
Shawn Smucker's latest novel is not one to read lightly. It's not a fluff piece by any means. If you are good with allegory, like stories with a deeper meaning, and are up for a darker novel that still manages to be filled with hope, this book just might be right up your alley.
(I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are entirely my own.)
