Review: Patrick: Son of Ireland by Stephen Lawhead

[mellysw]

Don’t expect “Patrick: Son of Ireland” by Stephen Lawhead to deal with the impact of Christianity in Ireland. This is not a story about an ideology. This is the story about a man and the various lives he encounters that influence his own tale. This is the story about how sometimes dreams come true like in the fairy tales. But unlike those fairy tales, dreams sometimes come true at tragic cost.

How is a saint formed? Lawhead shows us. We follow the life journey of Succat from wastrel youth to slave. From slave to soldier. From soldier to politician. From politician to slave. From slave to saint. Through his eyes we see the death of innocents and the triumph of evil. Through him we experience betrayal and un-earned compassion. With him we experience the sharp bitterness of crippling grief, the terrifying weak-kneed courage of standing your ground in a battle, the expansive triumph of love. With him we betray and are betrayed. We lie and are lied to. We struggle for survival in a world of turmoil. And with him, we find a Rock.

A saint is not formed from a life of peace and goodness. A saint is forged in the fires of hell itself, triumphing in a clean and bright sharp sword of truth. For most of this book, Succat is definitely no saint. He is in the forging process, and it isn’t a pretty process. There are no easy choices in his tale; no burning bushes, no thundering voices from heaven. Often, just like us humble non-saints, Succat makes a very wrong choice.

As always, Lawhead is an exemplary writer. To read this book is to be there in third and fourth century Europe. You can taste the peat-smoked dampness of an early morning in the hills of Ireland. You can feel the dusty bustling heat of a Roman street. You hear the peaceful murmuring of the Rhine River passing through forested banks under barbaric bellows and clashing swords. Lawhead’s research into the time periods is impeccable, and he brings it to life in every page of his books.

Many of Lawhead’s books are parts of a series, and it feels as if Patrick was meant to be just that. The ending feels rushed and disjointed, making little sense. We seem leap through years of Patrick’s life and watch his encounter with characters we know nothing about, and it left me naturally confused. Lawhead is without a doubt one of my all-time favorite writers, and I feel traitorous even saying this, but the ending of Patrick is awful. It is one of the worst endings I have ever read, and I have read a lot of books. I hate being left confused after reading an amazing book.

Despite the terrible ending, “Patrick: Son of Ireland” is an outstanding read, even if it is one of my least favorite Lawhead books. So four stars out of four for hitting all top three things I look for in a book: entertaining me, educating me, and inspiring me.

By the way, no snakes were harmed in the writing or reading of this novel.