The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis

Title: The Great Divorce

Author: C.S. Lewis

First Published: 1945

No. of Pages: 80

Synopsis (from B&N): "What if anyone in Hell could take a bus trip to Heaven and stay there forever if they wanted to?

In The Great Divorce, C. S. Lewis again employs his formidable talent for fable and allegory. The writer finds himself in Hell boarding a bus bound for Heaven. The amazing opportunity is that anyone who wants to stay in Heaven, can. This is the starting point for an extraordinary meditation upon good and evil, grace and judgment. Lewis's revolutionary idea is the discovery that the gates of Hell are locked from the inside. In Lewis's own words, 'If we insist on keeping Hell (or even earth) we shall not see Heaven: if we accept Heaven we shall not be able to retain even the smallest and most intimate souvenirs of Hell.'"

Fiction or Nonfiction: Fiction

Comments and Critique: I loved this book! This more than made up for the disappointment of The Abolition of Man. The synopsis above nicely sums up the plot of the story, but doesn't go quite far enough in stressing what it terms the "revolutionary idea" -- i.e., that no one and nothing keeps us in Hell except ourselves, and that the only way to enter Heaven is to let go of ourselves. Lewis makes this point wonderfully well by displaying various human faults in individual characters. We're shown pride, insecurity, and power, as well as faults that may not always appear as such; for instance, the desire for knowledge that becomes an end in itself, so that the seeker is no longer interested in the answers, only the questions. The key to overcome all faults is, of course, faith. Faith in God, which is the same as faith in pure, unselfish love, will overcome all human weaknesses and is the one and only path to Heaven. A wonderful way to present moral truths. Along with The Problem of Pain and The Screwtape Letters, this is another of Lewis's works that I'll be rereading as soon as I can work it in.

Challenges: 999 ("C.S. Lewis")