Would I recommend this book? In a word- Yes!
Eric Segal’s books have always come at a point in my life where they have left an indelible impression. I read’Love Story’ in my teens, ’Man, Woman and Child’ shortly after, ’Doctors’ in my early years of medical school, ’The Class’ in the later years.’Acts of Faith’ comes at a time when I have been thinking about some religious issues and faith in general, and I have to say I’m glad I read it now. But that’s just me.
The book deals with religion and its place in our lives in the modern world. Of course it uses Judaism and Christianity as the template and though I’m not familiar with the intricacies of either religion, the message is clear as the day."He that loveth not, knoweth not God- For God is love."
The strength of Eric Segal’s books has always been the characters- complex, flawed, three dimensional people who commit mistakes yet manage to get it right in the end. This book has three protagonists. Daniel, who narrates in the first person, is the son of a Silczer Rabbi, head of a small community of Orthodox Jews who has to follow his father as the next rabbi. Deborah, his sister, who is expected to accept the archaic ways and marry well. And Timothy, a man with unknown parentage, who finds solace in the Catholic church. None of them follow their destined paths, for stories are written about those who break the mold.
The research that the writer has done is fantastic. He leads you from place to place, time to time so smoothly and brings it all alive for you. The minutest details of rituals, the beauty of languages, the magic of Jerusalem and Rome.its all there for you from a master’s pen.
The prose is beautiful. There is no other word for it. The Yiddish, Latin, Greek, Italian, Hebrew and English all flow into each other and each invokes the God’s name differently, yet all the same. At times, the book will succeed in moving the biggest of atheists.
And coming to the most important questions the book invokes.those of sin, faith and salvation. What are the acceptable standards of living which will lead us to heaven? Do we follow the religious dictates blindly or what we know in our heart to be honest and true? From the religions portrayed in the book, these questions may seem not to be relevant in many cultures and religions but in a country like India, where everything from politics to education is carried out in the name of religion, is it not necessary to define some boundaries? Of having an idea of what the faith demands and what we are delivering? In the book, the author gives an example to show that Hinduism is a very liberal culture.but do we not have one of the most repressed societies at its core?
The book does not have all the answers. But it does manage to provoke ideas and questions. I am not a critic or a linguist. I am one of the masses. I like a book if its entertaining or inspirational or informative. This manages to be all three. And much more. Once again, I would quote "He that loveth not, knoweth not God- For God is love."
Disclaimer- These are my personal views and I do not wish to offend anyone’s feelings or any particular faith or religion. If you do not like anything written here, please agree to disagree.