The plot is based heavily in farce, of course. Dan Steele is a cynical, materialistic, uncaring advertising executive with little compassion or moral sense. By an...er...unusual sequence of events he ends up pretending to be a Catholic priest and working in a badly underfunded Care Centre run by an unconventional and very attractive nun. This being Bill Fitzhugh, he also has a number of people who are trying to track him down and kill him.
The story of an inhumane man discovering his humanity may sound hackneyed, but it’s very well done, very amusing and has a plot which becomes quite gripping. It is also brilliantly excoriating about the contrast between the many magnificently good people who do the Church’s work on the ground and the self-serving behaviour of some of its hierarchy. Fitzhugh’s approach is probably best summed up in a quote he uses from Lenny Bruce: “Every day people are drifting away from the church and going back to God.” He also takes some very well aimed potshots at the advertising industry, US materialism and so on.
Most of all, though, this is a really good read; I was hooked and thoroughly enjoyed it, and I’ve rounded 4.5 stars up to 5 for that reason. Warmly recommended.
(My thanks to Farrago for an ARC via NetGalley.)
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