Amber answers “Would this book be interesting for a...”

Alicia Srinivas asked this question about A Prayer for Owen Meany:

Would this book be interesting for a non-Christian? How serious are the religious undertones?

Amber I don't agree with the other answers at all. Anyone who doesn't see the strong underlying Christian message isn't really reading it. This book is Chri…moreI don't agree with the other answers at all. Anyone who doesn't see the strong underlying Christian message isn't really reading it. This book is Christian from beginning to end, and the author doesn't try to hide it. The narrator says openly in the very first passage that Owen is the reason he is a Christian. And you see as you read the book (and you see it most clearly once you've finished it) that Owen's entire life is a tribute to the hand of God behind Owen's true purpose.

For a person who is religious but not Christian, this may not really be a problem. There is no, "Christianity is right; all others are wrong," type of message, although Christianity happens to be both the author's and the main characters' framework for understanding divine power. But if you are not religious, it can be very off-putting. I personally came away thinking this God fellow must be a giant dickhead. And there were many points in the story where I felt like basically what I was-- an atheist at a prayer meeting: Twiddling my thumbs and rolling my eyes and wondering when we can move on to the snacks.(less)

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A Prayer for Owen Meany

by John Irving (Goodreads Author)

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