Over the past couple of years I’ve struggled to finish any
kind of book before I lost interest. Don’t confuse this with not reading, as I’ve
read like a maniac at times. Still, taking the time to focus on plot, meaning
or even simple story has been hard for me to do. On a message board that I
frequented, a book, or more of a short story, was recommended. Well, a couple
of days ago I looked at it again and decided to download it on the kindle, or
rather, my phone. I tend to not spend any money on books unless it is something
I want to keep in my library for some time. Three bucks, no biggie.
The book is A Short
Stay in Hell by Stephen Peck. I have an affinity for books and stories
about an afterlife and this fits the bill. There are a few things that I think
would peak your interest and perhaps allow you to consider this book for your
shelf. Most books like this are affirming of pre-conceived ideas. If a catholic
writes it, you would expect a catholic take. If a mormon writes it, you would
expect mormon concepts, etc. This does it to a slight degree, but really works
out to someone with a mathematical background, which the author has. The author
is mormon. I don’t know if he is currently practicing. However, the reality
early on indicates that this doesn’t follow a mormon narrative.
The protagonist dies, and arrives in a demon’s office with 5
others. A short discussion ensues with one of the characters.
“….I was saved.”
“No. Sorry. The true religion is Zoroastrianism, I’m afraid. Bit of bad luck there. Christianity certainly borrowed a great deal from the one true religion, but not enough, unfortunately. Not nearly enough.”
“Zoor-what-ism? Never heard of it. How can that be the true religion?” The man looked confused.
“Zoroastrianism? Oh, there’s never been but a few hundred thousand of them at any one time, mostly located in Iran and India, but that’s it. The one true faith. If you’re not a Zoroastrian, I’m afraid you are bound for Hell.”
The man looked stunned and shocked. “It’s not fair.”
The demon gave a mirthful laugh. “Well, it was fair when you were sending all the Chinese to Hell who had never heard of Jesus. Wasn’t it? And what a cruel and vicious Hell it was. And your Hell was not our short little correct-you-a-little Hell. This was eternal damnation. At least in the true Zoroastrianism system you eventually get out of Hell. Do you have any idea how long eternity is? My heavens, what an imagination you humans have. What kind of God would leave you burning forever? Most of you wouldn’t do that to a neighbor’s dog, even if it barked incessantly at two a.m. every morning. After about ten minutes watching a dog suffer in the kind of Hell you imagined God was going to send his wicked children to, you would be pleading for the damned beast’s mercy. It’s crazy. Create a few beings; those that don’t obey you roast forever? Give me a break.” The demon shook his great head in wonder.
This gives you a sense of the story, but before the mormons
get too excited about the above dialog, the demon dismisses the protagonist's Mormon faith
without comment other than a quick “…not a bad Mormon. You would have made a
good Zoroastrian. Now what Hell for you?”
The rest of the book talks about the particulars of his
Hell. The protagonist, Soren, has to deal with his incorrect assumptions, faith
and morality. He deals with the particulars in relationships and what to do
with an unlimited life, one where you can die (and necessary in the story) but
never leave. He brings up peculiarities, like the lack of any ethnicity, no Asians/blacks/Hispanics,
but never addresses an answer. It doesn’t try to answer many of the situations
he finds himself in. I think that this is partially a reflection of the author’s
desire to get across that not everything has an answer, it just is.
I found this an enjoyable read. I finished it in a couple of
hours, if that. It is a short story. It still is thought provoking and brings
into question some assumptions of what we might expect ourselves.
Oh, his hell is a library. That is kind of important to the
story.
