The Blasphemer - Nigel Farndale
The initial impression given by The Blasphemer is that of a novelist trying to tie together rather too many elements that appear to be scarcely connected or peripheral to the main story, but in reality the purpose gradually becomes clear and it's precisely to show that everything is connected, that there is underlying meaning and connections between the past and the present, defining who we are and the actions we take. The essential question however is whether this structure is created by natural design or demonstrates the will of God. For the most part this intriguing question is intelligently presented, although by the time it comes to the conclusion there's the suspicion that there's also a bit of an authorial hand at play. The story takes in several generations of the Kennedy family, but principally alternates between Daniel Kennedy - a lecturer, zoologist, TV presenter, Darwinist and committed atheist, and the actions of his great-grandfather Andrew who would die whil...