Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Demon A Memoir by Tosca Lee

What an unusual novel! Having read the novel Lee co-authored with Dekker, I knew I had to read one she penned on her own. This one did not disappoint.
Clay is an editor at a major publishing house. At the end of a day at work he stops by the Bosnian Cafe for a bite before heading home to his dark and empty apartment. A man beckons him to sit with him. Clay tries to steer away but the fellow is persistent. He's taken the liberty of ordering for Clay.
Thus begins Lucian's interaction with Clay. Lucian wants to tell his story and insists that Clay will publish it. Over the next weeks, months, Lucian reveals the beginning, his devotion to Lucifer, Lucifer's fall from El's graces, El creating these things out of dirt, etc. Clay is at times repelled and at other times captivated. As the novel progresses we learn more about Clay's life and how it interacts with those around him. We feel the tension as Clay's life spins out of his control, bound as it is with the demon and his story.

One might think the plot line wouldn't hold the reader. A demon, telling his memoirs to an author/editor? Lee's writing is so good, however, that I was drawn to continue on, to find out who the monster really is.
Lee says in her afterward that she got to thinking one time of what the events recorded in Genesis must have been like, experienced from the viewpoint of a fallen angel. Her imagination is as good as her writing skills.
One message that comes across in this book, loud and clear, is the absurdity of God loving the humans He created, even after they rebelled against Him. It made me stop and think, and be very grateful, for God's continued love toward me. It's rare for a novel to illicit that kind of response, I think. It will stir your soul. Well done.

B & H Publishing Group, 314 pages.

No comments: