The Power and the Glory

A powerful tale of brokenness and grace in the face of oppression.

Drunk evades capture
gets innocent people killed
feels a little bad.

I've heard about this book a number of times over the years. When I began reading, I quickly realized my assumptions about the plot were quite different than what's actually written. I was uncertain how much I'd enjoy it, but given that the book has been considered the greatest Catholic novel of all time, I wanted to see it through.    Set in a time in Southern Mexico where religion — Christianity in particular - has been outlawed by the ‘Red Shirts', one surviving priest is on the run. He's been coined a ‘whiskey priest' given his downfalls and deviations from Catholic practices. He finds many helpers along the way who help keep him hidden.    It took me a while to get into the story. I latched onto the introspection of the priest, but my attention waned when it skirted off to the side characters. Though the paragraphs with lengthy and my focus wasn't great at the time of reading, there were many quotes that resonated with me. I loved the raw, even ugly imagery of the struggles that humans face and don't always like to admit to. It was especially powerful watching it through the eyes of a priest. While, yes, they are figureheads of the church, that doesn't mean they are free of the temptations to make poor or even terrible decisions. In this case, watching the redemption that comes after such falls through a deep faith was inspiring.    Even though I wasn't completely captivated by every page, I can see why The Power and the Glory is a renowned work.