What a weird book! One of O’Connor’s two novels (although there are a lot of short stories sitting on my shelf) it follows Hazel Motes as he moves to a new town and tries to start his new religion–The Church Without Christ. He has a deep sense of (Catholic?) shame about his faith and tries to rebel by becoming blasphemous. He meets a preacher who blinded himself as an act of faith and a young man who is obsessed with a mummy in the city museum. These encounters lead to a series of more extreme events for Haze.
Things move fast here and the significance really lies in the strange actions of the characters. Not really a case of subtle writing or introspection, O’Connor narrates a series of strange events for several characters that are loosely intertwined. It’s strange without trying to push any limits or toe any lines. Hardly what I tend to go for but completely enjoyable.
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