Title: The Monk’s Son
Author: W.R.Wilkerson III
Publisher: Ciro’s Books (www.cirosbooks.com)
ISBN: 978-0-9676643-1-6
Genre: Fiction / Religion / Novel
No. of pages: 280
Presentation: Paperback

About the book: (from the back cover)

“From great hell comes Paradise”

When Brother Dominic finds a baby hidden in a field, the real world crashes into the peaceful cloisters of an English Abbey. It is 1940 and German bombs threaten the country side.

The foundling, Steven, grows up in the abbey. Over time, the monks take in other abandoned children, including sixteen-year-old Michael, a defiant artist who upsets the community’s tranquility. The boy’s friendship challenges the monks’ sacred vows and takes Steven to the brink of death.

Michael leaves the serenity of the abbey and plunges into the turmoil of ‘60s London. But disastrous sexual encounters and his battle with the drug called Paradise drive his life to take darker and darker turns. Steven, meanwhile, is nurtured and strengthened by his faith and the abbey community. He takes his final vows and dons the monk’s habit.

When at last Michael’s world spirals out of control, he returns to the monastery in despair. His reunion with Steven brings them together in ways that they would never have thought possible.

My impression: The story is beautifully written, is gripping and the style quite fluid which holds your attention through out. The author succeeds in painting a vivid canvas of the events. The novel has many facets that appeal to different people, like orphanage, art, religion, philosophy, and the darker sides such as homosexuality, drugs etc.

My Recommendation: Strongly recommended.