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We know Robert McAfee Brown for his theological non-fiction rooted in hard realism. Here he lets loose his vivid imagination to transport us to the Hebrides Islands off Scotland's coast where, even in the 90s, rural, islander folk hold to the supernatural as a natural part of life. Though they live by pagan and Christian tales that most educated, urban Americans quickly dismiss, as the story lured me in I found myself suspending disbelief and asking, What is Brown saying to us? The pondering continues. And because to pause before mystery and discern what love requires are basic human tasks, this book is as valuable as it is enjoyable. Beautifully crafted, these 168 pages are story-driven with interesting, well-drawn characters. The author employs just enough description to help you see what the flawed, young architect around whom he builds his story is experiencing, and sprinkles his narration with apt, often poetic metaphors. While the setting, the dated consciousness and Scottish dialogue, and even Brown's adapted writing style (I kept flashing on Cold Mountain), may strike us as foreign, even eerie, the book offers an engaging, easy read. Because I'd love to see this book gain wide readership, I'm tempted to shout: "GRAPHIC SEX AND VIOLENCE!" Alas, Brown spares us these. But as he takes you through surprising, timely twists toward his "inevitable but unpredictable conclusion," he confronts you with profound passion, wonder, suspense, and the sadness of both life and death. Can you tell? I thoroughly enjoyed this novel.