Book review: "Father Joe" by Tony Hendra

I read "Father Joe" and "Vengeance" intercurrently. Reading multiple books simulatenously was not something that I had done before Angela once told me that her father often has 3 or 4 books in progress at the same time. At first, I thought that this was sort of weird; how do you maintain momentum on one if you put it down and pick up another? That turned out not to be such a big problem. And in fact there was an upside: when I either got tired of a book, or just not interested in continuing for whatever reason (usually it just didn't match my mood), I could pick up something else that I had a greater desire to read at that moment.

In this case, reading a book about a Benedictine monk who was the personal confessor of a wild man (Tony Hendra, National Lampoon editor, Spinal Tap actor, and cocaine snorting bon vivant) while also reading about the merciless hunting of human beings, themselves murderers, added a certain degree of contrast that I think heightened the experience of each. Speculating on "Avner", the head of the counter-terrorist cell authorized by the Mossad to exact revenge for the Munich massacre, having a confessional session with Father Joe Warrilow made my head spin. Although I hate Hendra's politics (and I admit they play only a small part in the bigger story), I enjoyed his book, and by extension, him; although I find Jonas's take on the Soviet Union and the inferences evident about the way liberal democracies are superior to the leftist societies bent on destroying them more in tune with my politics, I don't really "like" Avner or the Mossad.

Anyway, back to "Father Joe": This one is a must-read. Seriously - go to the link above and order it, or to the library and check it out, or to the bricks-and-mortar corner bookstore and buy a copy. Read it. You will be glad that you did. I don't want to do a formal review, as it could easily devolve into saccharine goo (as do many of the blurbs contained in the book). Suffice it to say that Hendra was in need of spiritual guidance and found it in the person of Father Joe. Hendra, whatever his other faults, is a splendid writer, and his account, in contrast to the reviewers', is not syrupy in the least. It is quite incisive and a joy to read. If anything, get this first (before "Vengeance") and be prepared for a roller coaster ride of emotion - sleeves or Kleenex might be good things to have at your disposal, as there are quite a few heart-tugging moments.