ARA Review by dublinwriter of Blood Atonement

[dublinwriter]

[Following is an OnlineBookClub.org ARA Review of the book, Blood Atonement.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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Aptly titled.

Blood Atonement has intrigue running through it from the very start. Michael Wojciechowski has penned a winner here and his background as a resident of Utah probably helps him with his settings.

One has to applaud the western story that strays away from the usual gun battles of the old west and which attempts to cover the story from a Christian viewpoint. How refreshing!

The revelation of how Rose develops her world views through her newfound knowledge of Shakespeare is revealing. Even at an early stage in the book we sense a conflict between the Christian and Mormon way of thinking.

It’s strange in a good way how the author uses books to convey characterisation - the bible, works by Voltaire, Moby Dick, Wuthering Heights, Frankenstein, The Count of Monte Cristo. It’s hard not to like Porter - a man of few words - but one who wants to savour each sunrise before they run out. It’s strange too how the sound of Porter driving nails into the roof evoke thoughts of the crucifixion.

The book is vaguely reminiscent of Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier. It comes as a shock to learn that Porter has killed men even as one is taken aback by his first killing. In some ways the book bores the reader with its high moralistic values and the way it keeps quoting passages from the bible.

There were shades of the Shawshank Redemption towards the ending of this book especially in the line “salvation lies within”. Nevertheless the book ended in an unexpected way and one could clearly see the atonement element running throughout.

4 out of 5.

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