Musings: Children of God

Children of God, by Mary Doria Russell, is the sequel to her science fiction novel The Sparrow.  I loved The Sparrow and the way it made you really think about the unintended consequences actions can have.  This is even more true in Children of God, which explores, among many other things, the terrible consequences of miscommunication.

Children of God begins again with the fabulous character of Emilio Sandoz, one of the most fascinating people I will never have the pleasure of meeting.  He is being pressured to return to Rakhat, but he is certain he does not want to.  Not only does he have horrible memories of the place, but he also wants to leave the priesthood.  And marry a lovely woman.  But another fate awaits him, and he is taken back to Rakhat to confront his past and face the consequences of the actions he and his friends took on Rakhat..

I don't know how to approach the review of a book like this one because it is so complicated.  Not only is there no way I could cover all the themes presented in it, but I also have a very real fear that I didn't understand much of what was going on.  I understood the main plot of the story (I think), but this is one of those books that is about so, so much more than the plot.

I think Children of God is even more complex than The Sparrow.  In addition to the themes presented in its predecessor- of exploration, exploitation, cultural exchange, guilt and religion, to name a few- we also have redemption, extremism, anger, justice and emancipation.  And music.  Saying that, it may seem strange for me to say that I didn't enjoy this book nearly as much as I enjoyed its predecessor.  Perhaps because for me, The Sparrow was surprisingly delightful.  I approach all books about religion with a certain skepticism, worried that the author is trying in some subtle way to convert me.  And as I knew The Sparrow was about a Jesuit mission to a foreign planet, my hackles were up even more.  But The Sparrow was so much more than a book about missionaries.  It was full of vibrant, wonderful characters with strong opinions that never lost their senses of humor.  It was a book about friendship.  That perfect harmony of connecting to another person and knowing that you understand each other.  Yes, religion was there, and yes the book tackled very Big Important Themes.  But there was the friendship and the humor and delight to temper that.

Children of God does not have that.  There are so many new characters- too many, in my opinion- and they are not really fleshed out.  Emilio is (understandably) emotionally unreachable for most of the book, so the relationships are not formed on trust but on mutual fear and wariness.  The characters on Rakhat often have pages of philosophical introspection that are interesting at first but eventually lead to mental exhaustion.  I missed the sparks of witty banter, dirty jokes and general good humor that brought The Sparrow to life.  Instead, readers are given the grim reality of an entire planet at war, of emancipation and revolution gone to terrifying extremes.

There is much to like in this book.  There are idealists and heroes, idealistic heroes turned villains and villains turned wonderfully, painfully human.  It's a book that cries out for discussion- I get the feeling Russell wants to facilitate debate amongst her readers that result in the strong friendships, witty repartee and forward-looking conversations that populate so much of her story.  And I appreciate that.  But I did not fall in love with this book the way I did with The Sparrow.