Reading 1001 discussion

Rating: 3.5 stars


This book is a beautifully-written coming-of-age novel that reads more like a dark fairy tale. A boy enters into a fantasy world where he encounters various characters, each of which seem to symbolize a different stage in his development toward adulthood. The book is philosophical and heavy on symbolism, which is typical of many novels of that time period.

One of the blurbs I read on this novel pre-reading called it a Christian parable novel- a Jesus Figure story. Another one suggested it had themes of the everyman learning to transcend by understanding and wanting to alleviate the suffering of others.

Both are clearly present in this story through the fantastical adventures of little Johannes, who wants to know god and reconnect with his father, and learns of the suffering of people through the process. This is where the Jesus theme comes in, although it is not a 1-to-1 comparison and Jesus does exist as a separate figure in this novel.

I was concerned going in that it might be a bit of a heavy handed slog, but fortunately turned out mostly to be a fairy-tale wonder instead (although admittedly some parts are a bit heavy handed). Johannes has boat adventures on his mystical lake, meets some trolls, and the devil, and becomes part of the entourage of an eccentric Countess, and learns about the sick. I actually really enjoyed it even though its faith messaging was lost on me.

Honestly it reminded me a bit of the Chronicles of Narnia books, and would recommend to anyone who enjoyed those ones. I gave it 4 stars.

A compelling tale of a young boy in search of truth that begins in a wondrous fairy tale setting in which he falls in love with the beauty of nature as inhabited by talking bugs, trolls and a radiant sun goddess. Little Johannes, our seeker, progresses to being consumed with the beauty of love and then the beauty of refinement and class, but ultimately has to come to terms with the fact that his love for his "brother" (a Christ like figure) is of a higher order all together and he has to learn to seek the truth in his love for all his fellow humans, especially those that are poor and in need. There are some wonderful fairy tale moments of his confronting his fears (an unknowable It being) and his befriending Death but there are also some rather faith based heavy handedness. I especially appreciated the fact that it was truly a Dutch tale and that it reflected a specific Dutch character. I gave it 4 stars also although it wasn't my best reading experience.