Requiem

I've mentioned Graham Joyce's novel Requiem a couple of times last week. I finished reading it on Sunday, and have had a couple of days to let it percolate inside my mind. Despite being a bit disappointed by the non-resolution of the ending, I liked it quite a bit.

Requiem tells the story of Tom Webster, a former teacher, who quits his job after the death of his wife and journeys to Jerusalem. The entire book (sans flashbacks) takes place in Jerusalem. There's a lot of interesting stuff about religion in the book, since Jerusalem is the heart of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. A lot of conflict arises out of religion, and the ways it has been used and molded to control people. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book to a more religious person, although I have found that many highly religious types tend to be pretty narrow-minded and this book needs to be approached with an open mind. There are also some pretty graphic sex scenes.

There are some elements in this book which have stirred in me a desire to explore some things a bit further (the religious aspects, not the sexual ones).