The Virtue of Sin by Shannon Schuren

Challenge #13 ~ “A book that has an object that is repeated on the cover.”

virtueofsin

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

My opinion in three sentences:

I found this to be a very thought-provoking read, and one that carefully identified and walked the divide between critiquing dangerous cult behaviour and religion as a whole. In general, the characters were well-handled and relatable, although I admit the protagonists were both a little grating and a tad unrealistic at times. The ending was also a bit of a shame in my opinion as it felt rather rushed, in complete contrast to the strong plot and pacing from the rest of the book.

(Without spoiling anything) the best bit:

One of the top elements of the book for me was the way in which ideas and tales from Christian theology were represented and discussed in the book. Without even hinting at personal religious beliefs, Schuren used them to add contemporary realism to the situation and probe wider questions of truth, ideas, and the power of language. In so doing, the wider themes not only became much more accessible for both those familiar and unfamiliar with such stories, but embedded themselves within important contemporary discourses around topics such as fake news and misrepresentation of information.

A warning for the book:

Everything dramatic sort of happens at the end. Don’t get me wrong, the momentum was fine throughout and it never dragged, but the ending was jam-packed with action and felt rather rushed. It’s a shame because with great twists in the preceding drama, there was the real potential for a particularly effective, dramatic ending to the story.

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