 | David Forbes
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Jesuits in space.
That is probably the simplest description I can offer of Mary Doria Russellës superb novel, "The Sparrow," though it only begins to scratch the surface of a book that, to its credit, defies easy definition.
The year is 2060, and Father Emilio Sandoz, a Jesuit priest, returns to earth the only survivor of a mission to make first contact with an alien species. He is devastated, body and soul, by his experiences. Despite his condition, his superiors want an explanation.
Through
Sandozës recollections, the novel bounces back and forth between 2060
and 2016, when alien life is first discovered and the Society of Jesus,
seeing divine providence, organizes a mission to the planet of Rakhat
to make contact.
While that may
seem strange at first glance, Russell is quick to point out that the
Catholic Church, both for better and worse, has been operating as an
international institution for centuries, with the Jesuits often at the
forefront. Interplanetary exploration is simply the logical next step.
Also, the
Jesuits swear, this mission will be different than those to the New
World in centuries past. This time, the expedition will come in peace,
with minds open to the alien culture and ready to work in cooperation
with them.
Besides Sandoz,
the expedition includes a diverse array of his friends and colleagues.
Some are Jesuits, but others, including the missionës atheistic doctor
and her geologist husband, have their own reasons for joining. Despite
their widely different philosophies, they become close ÇƒÓ very much
functioning as a family.
Then everything goes horribly wrong.
Russellës skills
in unfolding the mystery at the heart of the novel are superb. While
the reader knows something of the expeditionës final fate from the very
start, I found myself held in suspense to see how such a tragedy
occurred and genuinely caring about the lively, well-drawn characters
and their struggles. She holds the whole truth until the final pages,
but draws the reader in so well that the book never becomes frustrating.
Fair warning, this is a book that will keep you up at night ÇƒÓ and not just for the mystery.
For along with
being a riveting mystery and a sci-fi tale of first contact, "The
Sparrow" also tackles multiple religious and philosophical issues,
especially through the charactersë debates and struggles.
Why do bad
things happen to good people? Where is the divine when youëre literally
on another world? Is the world run by fate or chance?
To be sure,
Russell is far from the first writer to ask these, but her way of
addressing them is never trite or dull ÇƒÓ and is likely to open up at
least a few minds out there.
While the author
obviously respects the Jesuits and their beliefs, she doesnët shy away
from the problems with religious conviction. On the contrary, Russell
offers up some pretty compelling counter-arguments through the story ǃÓ
especially through the character of Sandoz, who goes from doubt to
belief to mystical ecstasy and then, horrifically, back to doubt again.
My only initial
qualm with this novel was that I at first thought the main characters
were a little too saintly to be believed. But as the story progressed,
that view changed. While the protagonists are lovable and good, theyëre
also all too human. In fact, their trusting and noble nature ends up
leading them into tragedy. There is, perhaps, a lesson in that
somewhere.
The alien
cultures that the expedition encounters, the Runa and Janaëata, are
also well-written. This is helped, no doubt, by the authorës experience
as a paleoanthropologist. The aliens are neither inhuman monsters nor
pacifist noble savages. They have their own personal motives and have
to deal with their own culture and outlook as they try to react to the
strange humans who have suddenly appeared in their midst.
The aliens are
also definitely different, not simply humans with neon colored skin or
some odd anatomical feature. Their ways of thinking and acting come off
as genuine and intelligent, but also unmistakably, well, alien.
In this era,
acceptance of other cultures is often held up as an ideal. But Russell,
while obviously respecting multiculturalism, has the guts through her
story to ask some darker questions.
For example,
what happens when another culture practices a brutal caste system? Is
that simply a difference of belief ÇƒÓ or is it a gross injustice that
should be changed?
In dealing with
those questions and with the struggles of its characters, Russell
demonstrates one consistent message throughout "The Sparrow" ÇƒÓ when
facing the unknown, be it the divine, another culture or even another
planet, there are no easy answers.
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