2 out of 4 stars
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Our Pastor has gone mad again by Elijah Oladimeji
Our Pastor has gone mad again has interesting themes, which generally to the best of my knowledge have not been thoroughly explored in other works. The themes are quite interesting, for example; the general image of the church pastor is of the superstar variant; however the truth is that for every one successful (superstar) pastor, there are thousands others, struggling to eke a living and/or grinding it out. Pastoring is really tough work. Unfortunately, this book seems to almost let us down in trying to explore and elucidate on the chosen themes.
One major challenge I took issues with was character development. I felt the characters were poorly developed. Pastor Job should ordinarily have been a very interesting character, but the author never truly succeeds in bringing him to life. Supporting characters like his wife Lorraine and his landlord Mr. Reed suffer the same fate. Dialogue was another challenge, not controlled, not paced and running all over the place or pages of the book. In fact the dialogue could be likened to white noise. The pacing of the story can at best be described as uneven. Other supporting characters flit in and out without making their mark or presence remembered.
Are there any redeeming factors in this book? Yes, there are; as earlier stated, the author had chosen some interesting themes to explore. Pastor Job also turns out somewhat likable. We are able to somehow experience the challenges he is going through, the being dragged in different directions and his faith in God. If the character of Pastor Job’s wife Lorraine had been more fully developed the dialogue between them would have been super. Nonetheless, their verbal sparring throughout the book gives some needed comic relief. Unfortunately since their motives are not well-defined, the true undertone of their relationship can only be guessed.
The church services and the public and personal prayers of our main character are spot on in my opinion. This is another plus for the book. There are snippets and whole lines which a Christian or aspiring Christian can borrow from or emulate. I really wish this book had delivered on its promise, which one glimpse in occasional flashes and short bursts. Nonetheless, I believe Elijah Oladimeji is almost onto something good. This was a brave piece of writing and Pastor Elijah might not be too far off from a workable formula.
There is a need to go back to the drawing board. All reviews and criticisms should be critically looked at and evaluated. I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars. The editing was okay and there are almost no mistakes to note. I will be interested to see the next work Elijah Oladimeji puts out.
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Pastoring is not what you think
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