Till We Have Faces:

I've read this book multiple times and its mythic images have deeply impressed me. The image of Orual reading her “great work” at the end and seeing what she is really saying is powerful and rings true with much that I have myself experienced in life. Our true motives are so often hidden from us, and coming face to face with them can be a shattering experience. The message of hope and reconciliation at the end is reassuring and I believe also true to the way things are in the deeper reality. The divine world wants us to become worthy of standing in its presence, but we have to do some hard work to get there.

I think it's better not to see the novel as an allegory but as an imagination which embodies truths about the human soul and spirit. In that regard I think it's Lewis's finest work.

Short Review: This is a second reading and I liked it much better this time. I did a little background reading about Psyche and Cupid before the second reading and I had some more context for the story. I also think I read it better this time and got a lot more out of it. I still don't think it is his best work, but it is well worth reading.

My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/till-faces-cs-lewis/

One of my first favorite not-child books.

One of my all-time favorites, “Till We Have Faces” is unique among Lewis's works. It is a dark, complex retelling of the myth of Cupid and Psyche, focusing not on the beautiful Psyche, but rather on her ugly older sister Orual.

Lewis creates a beautifully realized world, a gritty land in which threads of truth are woven into the tapestry of myth. Like his world-building, Lewis's characters have great depth, all being capable of both good and evil. Orual in particular is one of my favorite characters ever: ugly, strong, loving, selfish, courageous... A warrior and a leader, in defiance of the physical unattractiveness that caused her to be deemed “worthless” as a child. She makes big mistakes, and she does great things, and in the end her life is defined by love in ways she didn't even realize. Anyone who doubts Lewis's ability to write well-rounded female characters should meet Orual.