my actual rating is 2.5 stars because of the unfortunate ennui that has seized me, and the prose was not compelling enough. i did enjoy the beginning though, was beguiled by the premise as i always am when it comes to sins and heathenism.

at one point, joel king, the main character, recounts his days in graduate school to become a priest. he says, "You don’t get to average good and evil, he’d say, don’t earn the Lord’s blessing if your deeds tip the scales a tad in your favor, don’t get to choose the middle road or the gray solution. There’s the straight, correct, narrow route, and the rest is just plain heathen mischief. There is no alloy in righteousness, no shades and degrees in morality."

it can't be that easy, can it? someone still had to decide stealing is point-blank wrong, and then the law comes along, something manmade, creates all these loopholes so someone goes to prison for stealing $9 worth of groceries for 50 years while jeff here can be a motherfucking trillionaire? and yes i am aware of the irony of my using an amaz*n website while i complain about the bald overlord. what can i say?

through all of this, joel king's descent into theft and insurance fraud felt inevitable in the tragic sense. the doubt that seeded itself in his heart was bound to happen. but his being a minister was meant to put him in some kind of moral high ground, i suppose. but the fact of the matter is that he is still a person who is susceptible to immorality, like anyone else.

there were also some moments where i felt as if it was only tacked on to put joel king in good standing, but at that point in the narrative, i was lagging and it wasn't holding my attention anymore.

i tip my hat off to the person who works/worked in PRH in 2004 for that design cover though. the reason i picked up the book in the first place.