Think Marvel fanfiction. Yeah, maybe the combination of those two words doesn’t exactly put you in mind of great literature, but if we’re describing this story in as few words as possible, this gets pretty close.
Of course, that description completely misses all the things that make this story great. The theme of perseverance and courage in the face of failure and inadequacy, the rough-around-the-edges characters that smack of my style, and an interesting take on a world where superpowers exist, all serve to make this story different and captivating, though I say it myself. But yeah, if superheroes turn you off, this story might not be for you.
It’s one of my shortest novels (a novella, in fact). It started out as an experiment, really, to see just how short I could make it without sacrificing any of the elements I wanted it to contain. I’ve tried writing short stories before, but they always feel less like an exploration of a theme (my preferred way of expressing myself) and more like おとぎ話, or fables (nigh on preachy at times). It was also a challenge to myself to put together a story quickly, which largely succeeded.
It’s also one of my most overtly Christian stories, maybe even the only one. Why I struggle to blend my Christianity with my fiction I’m not sure, but most of the time I like to leave my readers guessing, maybe even suspicious, but unable to prove it. Not so with this story. This is a nitty-gritty tale, painful and raw, and I didn’t see the sense in being real about the pain if I wasn’t going to be honest about the answers that pulled me through it. God is my rock, the thing that keeps me standing when my world shatters around me, the source of my perseverance and courage. If I was going to write about a hero, he was going to be the sort that knew he wasn’t strong enough, but also knew that God is.
However, the sense you get from Katsuki is that trusting God is not an easy thing. He spends most of the book largely ignoring God and his truths, being very angry with God. He struggles to understand God’s ways, struggles to understand his own purpose, and struggles to comes to grips with the concept that like a parent, God will use the means of teaching you that works, even if it’s painful for you temporarily.
So, which is it? Have I sacred you off, or gotten you curious? I’m fairly certain there can be no middle ground, just as I am sure that the responses to this story will be quite polar: You’ll love it, or you’ll hate it. It’s just that kind of story. If you’d like to find out which side of the spectrum you fall on, you can get your copy here.
With grins,