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3 out of 4 stars
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“Sister, do you think God can forgive me?” Joe asked. (page 100)
What happens when you choose to compromise your values and beliefs? Well, John Servant takes a stab at answering this question in his book The Narrow Gate.
The two main characters of this book are Joe Jay and Sister Francis. Joe is a Christian man and a reputed litigator. He had graduated from Harvard with a degree in political science and a law degree. He has a wife called Joan and a son called Joey. Joe is lured into the dirty game of politics and rises to fame quickly. He soon realises that to achieve his political goals, he has to accept ideologies that he does not believe in. Joe is portrayed as a gullible man whose greatest weakness is his ambition. It is good to be ambitious. However, what happens when your ambition makes you lose sight of your moral compass? How far will Joe go to achieve his political goals? How will his decisions affect him and his family members? What is the role of Sister Francis in this story? You will have to read the book to find the answers to these questions.
The main themes of this book are religion, politics and greed. Joe was greedy for power and did everything that he could to climb the political ladder, to the detriment of his personal life. There are different stylistic devices in the book like irony and biblical allusion. The writer has vividly described his characters. Consequently, I could picture all of them in my mind as I read the book. My favourite character was Sister Francis because she stands for what she believes in. I did not like Joan because she highly values wealth and her social status to the point that she cannot stand against what is wrong.
One of the things that I loved about this book is the clear depiction of reality. The characters of the book are relatable. Many people are like Joe. Joe compromised his values and deceived himself that this was for the greater good. The little things that we take for granted can negatively influence our life. Another thing that I loved about this book is how the writer concludes Joe's storyline. I am glad that he learnt from his mistakes and changed.
There is nothing that I disliked about this book. This book has more than ten mistakes. Hence, I rate it three out of four stars. Have you lost hope? Do you feel that the mistakes that you have made are so grave that God cannot forgive you? If your answer is yes, this book is suitable for you. This book has an interesting plot. I finished reading it in less than twenty-four hours. I enjoyed reading this book.
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The Narrow Gate
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