9 out of 10 monkeys believe they are not behind glass

There have been few books in my adult life that completely take me by surprise. There have been far too few books that really make me think, question ideals and biases, question what it is to be human and what makes us human. The Sparrow is definitely one of those books.

And I haven’t even finished it. 80 pages left to go. And I am filled with dread about finishing it, because I know it will not end happily.

That is what is so amazing about this book. A tragedy about hope, a prayer about lack of faith, ascension while falling, so many conflicting dichotomies at work with each other. The resulting emotional suspense is killer, and the personal investment in the characters is real.

You want to understand how someone can become so alien through such tragedy. With the characters, you want to understand not the how of the plot, but the why.

It feels like one of those books that I was lucky to stumble upon.

Such a rare treat to find such a great book accidentally.